It was an instruction I could accept because it gave me something useful to do instead.

Marcus was now a senior federal agent with responsibility for financial investigations.

The position sounded impressive.

It did not make him the person who could decide every allegation I had just described.

“The assault needs investigators with jurisdiction over it,” he said.

“I can help you make sure the information gets to the right people.

I can also tell you how to preserve what you have.

I can’t open someone’s private accounts because we used to work together.”