Chapter 20 - THE AUDIT IS CLOSED
Far away, where the Pennsylvania hills rolled down toward the western valleys under a vast, lead-gray sky, a local train rattled slowly past a small white clapboard station with a faded green sign that read ALTOONA JUNCTION.
On the wooden bench outside the waiting room, Clara sat with Sophie curled safely against her side, her small hand resting on the soft, mended ear of the gray plush rabbit. Across the platform, standing near the edge of the gravel where the tracks curved away into the mist, Marco Falcone closed his leather notebook with a sharp, clean snap and slid it deep into the pocket of his gray wool overcoat.
He pulled out his silver pocket watch, flipped the lid, and checked the time.
3:15 PM.
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The audit was finished. The figures matched down to the last penny, the balance sheet was clear, and for the first time in his life, there were no more entries to be made.
He turned away from the tracks, adjusted his spectacles against the rising wind, and walked across the platform toward the waiting car, leaving the rails behind to the gray sky and the open road.
