15
I sat alone in an office I’d never been in before. It was hyper-air conditioned, and I had to focus to keep the shivers (cold- and anxiety-induced) at bay. The upper portions of the walls were mostly glass—or at least something glass-like that was transparent—and uniformed men and the occasional woman stared frankly at me beneath the fluorescent spotlights. Their expressions reminded me of one of my grandmother’s aphorisms: Lie down with dogs and you’re gonna get fleas. No doubt they thought I had it coming, and I did. Just not for the reasons they thought.
No one was saying much about Jerome, about anything really. They just left me in a chair and went about their business. I tried to lipread, but the officers weren’t considerate enough to face me while talking. I’d been sitting suff
