I pushed the door open slowly, keeping my movements silent.

We slipped into the concrete stairwell just as Victor’s footsteps began to crunch on the glass fragments near the reception desk.

The door clicked shut behind us.

We ran down the cold stairs.

Our shoes squeaked on the painted concrete.

The air in the stairwell smelled of dust and damp wool.

We descended four flights in silence until we reached the basement parking garage.

Marcus unlocked his sedan with his key fob.

The headlights flashed, casting long shadows across the empty concrete pillars.

We got in, and Marcus started the engine.

He did not turn on the headlights until we cleared the exit ramp onto the wet street.

The rain was coming down harder now, blurring the streetlights of the financial district.

I pulled the envelope from my inner jacket pocket.

My hands shook slightly as I unfolded the thick paper.

I turned on the overhead map light.

The white light illuminated the logo of the genetic testing laboratory.

My eyes scanned the columns of numbers.

Locus markers, allele sizes, and probability percentages filled the page.