“Will you need my help with whatever this dispute is?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

“I’m handling this part myself.”

He gave one sharp nod and went back inside his office.

I drove back to the farm and parked the silver sedan near the barn.

The suspension sagged a little under the weight of fifteen years of paid bills.

I carried the boxes into my office one by one and stacked them on the floor beside my wooden desk.

I took the lid off the top box.