Jake followed her, his boots heavy on the floor.

The front door of the building slammed shut behind them, the vibration rattling the glass in the office door.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
“Are you alright, Carl?” I asked.

Carl sat down in his old leather chair.

He looked tired, but his eyes were clear.

“I’m fine,” he said. “But Mallerie’s look… she’s not going to just walk away.”

“The law is on our side now,” I said. “They can’t stay here.”

“I know,” Carl said. “But she said I wouldn’t have anything left to take back.”

He stood up again, his expression tightening.

“We need to check the boiler,” he said.

“The basement,” I said, remembering what Mrs. Patterson had told us.

“Yes,” Carl said. “If Jake was down there last night, he wasn’t just looking for papers.”

We left the office and walked to the end of the hallway.

The door to the basement was a heavy wooden door with a rusty padlock.

Except the padlock was gone.

The metal latch was hanging loose, bent out of shape.