His chair scraped loudly against the linoleum floor.

David’s face was pale, his eyes fixed on me.

“Is something wrong, Mom?” Rachel whispered beside me.

I held up a finger to ask her for quiet.

“Go on, Mr. Vance,” I said into the phone.

“As you know, there was a significant dispute regarding the commercial property lease Arthur held,” the attorney said.

“Yes,” I said, though I only knew the barest details.

Arthur had kept the business ledger locked in his desk drawer.

“And there was the matter of the personal guarantee on the bank loan,” Mr. Vance continued.

“The loan,” I repeated.

David took a step toward me, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“Mom, let me talk to him,” David said, his voice strained.

“Just a moment, David,” I said, keeping my eyes on my son.

“We have finally received the signed release from the bank,” Mr. Vance said.

The line crackled with static for a second.

“The secondary insurance policy Arthur took out three years ago has been cleared for payout,” he said.

I stood very still.