Back in her own office, Allegra wondered what she was going to say to Gary Wisnicki. She decided to postpone that conversation until the next day. Outside it was getting colder and darker by the minute and she still wanted to go through her mother’s storage unit before she went home.

“I’m off,” she said to Severine. “It if looks like the snow is going to stick, you should leave early too.”

“I will,” Severine said in a tone that Allegra knew meant “I have work to do and I’ll leave when it’s done.” Allegra worried about Severine sometimes. She had an iron-clad work ethic that Allegra appreciated but she was always the first person to arrive at the office and the last to leave. She was also a person who valued her privacy so the few ti...

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