He ripped it down the middle.

“There’s your notice,” Jake said, throwing the pieces at Carl’s feet.

I reached into my folder and pulled out another copy.

I laid it flat on the desk in front of Mallerie.

“I have plenty of copies, Jake,” I said. “The court has the original.”

“You have three days,” Carl said. “If you are not out of this building by then, you will be removed in handcuffs.”

Mallerie stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floorboards.

She looked at the ripped paper on the floor, then at the fresh copy on the desk.

“You think you’ve won, Carl,” she said, her voice shaking with anger.

“I am taking back what is mine,” Carl said.

“You won’t have anything left to take back,” Mallerie spat.

She grabbed her purse from the chair.

“Let’s go, Jake,” she said.

Jake picked up the metal wrench from the desk.

He stared at Carl for a long moment, his chest rising and falling.

“This isn’t over, old man,” Jake said.

“Get out of my building,” Carl said.

Mallerie walked past us, her shoulder hitting mine as she went.