Valerie checked her watch again.

“Garrett pulled it out of the bottom storage bin behind the copier.

He asked me to flag it for you to look at right away.”

“Did you watch Rebecca initial this yourself?” I asked.

“She worked late that whole week,” Valerie said, twisting her gold ring twice around her middle finger.

“I figured you’d approved the release yourself.”

I slid the paper stub into my coat pocket and kept my hand buried deep in the wool lining.

I drove six miles across town to the bank branch parking lot on Elm Street and sat in the idling cab of my truck until my eyes stopped swimming.