The doorbell rings. My Master looks up from his paper. “I’ll get it,” he says. “Ross is in the basement.”
“Still doing Battle Royale with the boiler?”
“I think he takes it as a personal insult that it doesn’t perform to standard.” He heads for the door, returning seconds later. “A friend to see you, Elizabeth,” he smiles. “Come in, Claudia.”
She pauses on the threshold, shifting from one foot to the other. “I hope it’s not bad timing?”
“Not at all.” I rise from my seat to greet her. “It’s great to have you here.”
“What can I get you, Claudia?” asks my Master. “Coffee? Tea? A glass of wine?”
“Coffee would be nice,” she smiles.
A cough from the hallway. Ross wearing an oil-streaked boilersuit and rubber overshoes on his boots, swiping his hands with a rag. “Will Miss Schmidt be stayi
