I got up from the wooden chair and walked out of the conference room without another word.

The drive back to the motel took exactly twenty-two minutes.

I parked in the same space by the ice machine and unlocked my door.

The room was thick with humid afternoon heat.

I cranked the wall unit to its highest setting and sat on the edge of the mattress.

I reached into my overnight bag and took out my faded blue folder.

I opened the cardboard flap and went through the loose papers I’d gathered over the past four weeks.