CHAPTER 4: The Stranger Asks About the Office

The young man did not take the food immediately.
He looked at Daniel, then at the office windows above the market. Behind the glass, lights were already on though no one was supposed to be working there after six. Vanessa followed his gaze and stepped slightly in front of him.
'Move along,' she said.
The young man ignored her for the first time. His voice was rough, as if it had gone unused all day.
'Does Mr. Whitmore still keep the north office locked?'
Daniel felt the question land strangely. No customer knew what the north office was called. Most vendors did not. The old founder, Silas Whitmore, had used it years ago before his stroke, before Vanessa's department took over, before rules began multiplying faster than rent increases.
'Mr. Whitmore is retired,' Vanessa said quickly.
The young man looked at her then. 'That is not what I asked.'