“Every single one of them ended in a structured settlement.”

“Marcus’s companies paid the damages directly to my firm’s trust accounts.”

“And from there, you distributed the clean cash back to him and Evelyn,” Dante finished.

“Yes,” she said.

“It looked completely legitimate on paper.”

“The courts approved the settlements, and the banks cleared the funds without a second glance.”

The computer monitor beeped again.

The countdown reached fifteen seconds.

“Which files?” Dante asked.

“The ledger is in the cabinet behind you,” Vanessa said, pointing a shaking finger toward the locked drawer I had kept her from opening.

“The key is in my pocket.”

Dante reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out a small silver key.

He walked over to the cabinet, unlocked the top drawer, and pulled out a thick black binder.

He flipped it open, his eyes scanning the pages quickly under the harsh glow of the monitor.

“Every fake settlement is detailed here,” Dante said, looking at me.

“Names, dates, bank routing numbers.”

“Marcus’s entire lifeblood is in this book.”

“It’s how he pays his debts,” I said.

“It’s how he stays alive.”