I pulled the green rubber band off the wrapping. Under the brown paper, the box was sealed with a single strip of plain white tape.
A faint, sweet scent rose from the seams of the paper. It was lavender, the exact perfume Emily wore on the day we met.
My hand hovered over the tape for a long minute. I pressed my thumb against the seal, feeling the cardboard give way under the pressure.
There was a plain white envelope resting right on top of the contents, smelling faintly of lavender.
Inside the box, beneath the envelope, I could see the edge of a dark leather binder. The gold letters on the spine were partially faded, but they were still legible.
The name on the binder was Apex Logistics.
My hand began to rub my left ring finger out of habit, but I forced myself to stop.
I tore the brown paper wrapping from the box.
