Chapter 17:
The basement smelled like old paper and coffee.
The man's name was Solomon. He didn't give a last name and I didn't ask. He sat down across from me at a folding table covered in files and took his glasses off and cleaned them on his shirt.
"Okay," he said. "First thing. You're not gonna cry."
I blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"You're not gonna cry. Not in here. You can cry in the car. You can cry at home. You can cry in the shower. But not in here. Because the second you cry I start feeling sorry for you and I stop thinking straight. And I need to think straight right now."
I looked at Kael. Kael was standing by the door with his arms crossed.
"He's not a people person," Kael said.
"I'm not a people person," Solomon said. "I'm a paper person. Paper doesn't cry. Paper tells the t
