The lobby was quiet, illuminated by harsh white fluorescent lights that made the marble floor look like ice.

I signed the guest ledger at the security desk and waited for the vault manager.

An elderly woman in a blue blazer led me down the stairs into the basement.

The air down there was cold and smelled of old paper and brass polish.

She turned her key in my safety deposit box, and I turned mine.

The heavy metal cylinder clicked open.

I pulled the long metal box from the wall and carried it to a small, private viewing room.

I closed the heavy wood door and sat down at the table.

Inside the box lay the blue vinyl binder.

It was dusty, the edges slightly warped from ten years of storage.

I opened it.

On the first page was the original patent application for the data-compression algorithm that built Hayes Development.

My maiden name, Claire Vance, was listed as the sole inventor.

The date was twelve years ago, before I married Victor.

Below my name was the official registration stamp from the patent office.