For a long moment, no one in the archive building spoke.
The shelves of documents, the faded photographs, the quiet hum of the ceiling fan—everything seemed to wait.
Ephraim Calder stood beside the table like a man who had finally reached the end of a long road.
Ronan studied him carefully.
Fifteen years earlier Calder had been a rising political figure, the mayor who promised to revive Braddock Vale. Now he looked older than his years, the weight of choices etched deep into his face.
