“Did you find the ledger you were after at the library, Mom?” Evan asked, without raising his voice.

“I found the old map files from 1994,” I said, taking off my coat and hanging it on the wooden hall tree.

The brass lock gave a crisp metallic click, and the leather lid popped open.

Evan took out a thick paper folder tied with a black linen fastener.

As he moved the cover, a sheet of heavy cream paper slid a little to the left under the reading lamp.

Printed across the very top in big blue letters were the words Marshall Technologies Incorporated.