“Six million,” I whispered, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. “And we have cockroaches in the hallways. The ceiling in the lobby collapsed last spring, and they just covered it with plywood.”

“He was pocketing every single dollar,” Nathaniel said, his hand tightening into a fist against the desk. “He kept just enough of the building standing to keep you all from leaving, while filing false inspection reports to my office.”

Ruby looked at the numbers on the page, then up at Nathaniel. “Did you write these, Mr. Graves?”

“I signed the approvals, Ruby,” Nathaniel said, looking down at her with a gentle, sorrowful expression. “I thought I was taking care of the place where my family’s history began. I thought I was honoring my father’s legacy.”

“But you never came to look,” I said, unable to hide the bitterness in my voice.

Nathaniel flinched slightly, but he didn’t look away.

“No,” he admitted. “I didn’t. I trusted the reports. I trusted Arthur because his father worked for mine. That was my greatest mistake.”

He stood up and closed the binder with a firm snap.