Valerie gave a single nod.

Forty-eight hours later, she called me back.

I knew from her voice, before she said a word, that I needed to come immediately.

When I arrived, her desk was empty except for one manila folder placed in the center. Outside, the city looked flat beneath the winter sky. Valerie didn’t offer coffee.

I sat down.

She opened the folder and slid the first document toward me.