Arthur looked at the paper, then back at Nathaniel, his face twitching.

“That is a legal matter,” Arthur said quickly, his voice cracking.

“The building has rules. If tenants do not pay, we must take action to protect the property.”

“What about the hot water?” I asked, taking another step forward.

“The hot water has been out in the east wing for three weeks.”

“Children are sleeping in coats because the radiators are freezing.”

Arthur waved his hand dismissively, though a drop of sweat rolled down his temple.

“That is a maintenance issue,” he stammered, his eyes darting around. “We have been working on it.”

“We hired sub-contractors to fix the main boiler last month.”

“If they failed to do their job, that is on them, not on me.”

“I cannot control the incompetence of third-party vendors, Mr. Graves.”

He turned his face toward Nathaniel, trying to look earnest, but his eyes were wide and frantic.

“I have the receipts,” Arthur continued, his voice trembling as he gestured wildly.

“I paid the plumbing company in full. They must have cheated us.”