“Yeah, when it flooded down here everything got moldy and the county can’t really afford to have these records archivally treated, so instead, it stinks. Here we go, section F. Under each letter the entries are chronological, but I know Jasper came up here sometime in the late seventies, so he shouldn’t be too hard to find. It’s not like we have thousands of real estate transactions a year. If I start in 1976 . . .” Patton ran her finger down the page, scanning for the name Fleming. Three pages later, she found it.

“Here it is—Fleming, Jasper, deed number 19456. June 24, 1977. You look that one up in those books over there and I’ll see if there are any other entries.”

Nemo squinted at the faint lettering on the spines of the volumes that Patton had pointed to until he found one labeled “17862–22983.” He pulled it down and propped it on the edge of the table, leaning his head back as he turned the pages in an unsuccessful attempt to minimize the reek of mold. “OK,” he said, “Here’s 19456. Fleming, Jasper. 173 Lone Pine Road. And then there’s a lot of other stuff I don’t understand.”

“That’s his house,” said Patton, glancing at the entry. “But look, in 1981 there’s another Jasper Fleming entry. Deed 24752.”

A minute later another ledger lay open on the table and Nemo and Patton read the description of deed 24752—the purchase by Jasper Fleming of an undeveloped piece of property at the end of Ebenezer Road.

“Do you know where this is?” said Nemo.

“About six miles outside town,” said Patton. “But I don’t think there’s anything up there. It’s pretty rough country.”

“Let’s go,” said Nemo, turning for the steps.

“You go,” said Patton. “I don’t see why I should. I gave you what you asked for.”

“You want to take on a couple of assassins by yourself?” said Nemo.

Patton considered the question. She wasn’t scared to confront a pair of killers, but an ally could prove useful. “Why do you even want me to come with you?” she said.

“Call it insurance,” said Nemo. “I don’t want you telling those guys what we just found out.”

“And I thought you cared about me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. Now are you coming?”

“Hang on,” said Patton, lifting up one of the ledgers. “We have to put these away.”

“You don’t seem to understand that we are possibly running for our lives.”

“And you don’t seem to understand that if we leave these lying open on the table, someone could figure out where we’re going,” said Patton calmly, lifting the volume back in place.

“Good point,” said Nemo.

Once they had put away the ledgers, they slipped out the back of the courthouse. They could hear sirens in the distance as Nemo pulled out of the rear entrance of the parking lot.