I stared into the blue doorway. The data specialists I could hire, the assets I could liquidate and the reporters I might silence could wait. Evelyn was on the other side.
I pulled Leo toward it, and we both ran.
Our hands struck an invisible barrier. Leo slapped it and called for his mother while our breath fogged the surface.
I pushed harder. The surface stayed smooth under my palms and gave us no way through.
Beyond it was a supermarket. Fluorescent lights shone on the bakery aisle, where Evelyn pushed a shopping cart in a T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail.
After years of galas, private dining rooms and staff waiting for instructions, the ordinary aisle looked almost absurd. Evelyn stood beside her cart with both parents close to her.
A middle-aged woman bes
