Chapter 44: Anastasia

The screen of my personal phone lights up against the polished walnut of my desk at 7:42 PM on Wednesday evening. The display indicates an unlisted number with a commercial exchange code from the eastern basin industrial district. I drop my fountain pen into its brass tray, slide my finger across the glass to answer, and switch the audio to the speakerphone function.

"Anastasia," Emmet’s voice comes through the speaker, accompanied by the faint hum of a diesel generator operating in the background of his office.

"Emmet," I say, pulling the blue Harvest Festival logistics binder toward the center of my desk. "I have the structural ledger...