His jaw dropped slightly, his eyes widening in recognition and utter confusion.

“Mr. Graves,” Arthur stammered, trying to pull himself together.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and took a step toward us.

“I… I didn’t expect you to be down here. There seems to be some kind of malfunction with the security system.”

Nathaniel rose slowly from his chair, standing at his full height.

“There is no malfunction, Arthur,” Nathaniel said calmly.

“I locked the building down myself.”

Arthur forced a nervous laugh, though his eyes darted toward the sealed exits.

“I see,” he said. “Well, I was just heading out to check on one of the properties. A small emergency.”

“At ten o’clock on a stormy night?” Nathaniel asked, crossing his arms.

“With a briefcase full of original physical ledgers?”

Arthur’s hand twitched, instinctively moving closer to the briefcase on the bench.

“These are just… old administrative files,” Arthur said, his voice rising in pitch.

“I was taking them home to review. Standard procedure, I assure you.”

I stood up from my chair, my heart hammering against my ribs.