"All right," he said quietly, as though answering someone beside him. "I'll take you home."
He bought a cheap plastic pouch from a pharmacy to protect the wallet from rain and called Alice to say he would be late. She asked whether his truck had finally fallen apart, and he told her he had found something important that needed returning. She did not ask what it was. Her only instruction was to be careful on the roads, which made him smile because he was still several blocks from home and had not brought the truck.
The estate's address took him to a neighborhood of high walls, iron gates, and lawns that remained green long after the rest of the city turned brown. Daniel came on foot from the nearest bus stop, the wallet sealed in its pouch inside his canvas jacket. By the time he reached the Sterling property, rain had darkened his sleeves and collected along the seams of his work boots. The mansion beyond the gate was pale stone and long windows, standing behind a drive that curved through enough landscaping to resemble the entrance to a private park.
A security guard stepped out of a booth before Daniel could press the intercom. His name badge read Marcus, and he took one look at the worn jacket and tool-scarred hands before deciding how the conversation was likely to go. "Private residence," he said. "Deliveries go to the service entrance."
"I'm not delivering a package," Daniel answered. "I found something that belongs to Ms. Sterling. I'd like to return it."
"Leave it with me."
Daniel glanced toward the house. "I'd prefer to give it to her directly."
The guard's expression tightened. "People say that all the time. Most of them want to sell something, and the others want a photograph."
"I don't want either."
"Then you won't mind leaving the item at the gate."
Daniel took a slow breath. Nothing in the man's suspicion surprised him. A job like that probably meant distinguishing the harmless from the dangerous for hours at a time, and Daniel knew appearances could make that task unfair. He still wanted a clear handoff. "Please tell her someone found her wallet downtown," he said. "If she wants me to leave it here after that, I will."
Marcus looked at him sharply. "You have her wallet?"
"I believe so."
The guard stepped farther beneath the awning. "Then put your hands where I can see them while I call the house."
Daniel held his hands in plain view, not because he thought he was dangerous but because he had learned that keeping a difficult interaction calm was often the quickest way through it. Marcus spoke into his radio. Another voice answered. Then there was a silence long enough for Daniel to hear the rain tapping against the ornamental ironwork.
"Someone's coming," Marcus said at last. "Stay right there."