Frank didn’t ask about my bare head.

He pulled his leather chair up to the glass-topped table, logged into the Cook County property portal, and typed in our Maple Street address.

“The county recorder filed a second lease assignment six weeks ago,” Frank said, swiveling the monitor toward my side of the desk.

I leaned in and turned the silver ring on my right thumb.

The screen showed a notarized document granting legal rights to the secondary garage apartment lease.

Eleanor’s name was listed as the only landlord, collecting eight hundred dollars a month in cash rent from the local contractor who kept his equipment in the back bay.