“Cancel it,” she said. “It is unauthorized.”

She paused, her eyes shifting to the window where the rain was beating against the glass.

“No,” she said. “Do not contact him. Call the compliance division.”

She hung up the phone with a sharp click.

“He is trying to transfer forty million dollars to a holding company in Panama,” Margaret said, looking at Grace.

“He has a charter flight booked out of Teterboro in two hours,” Grace said, pulling a slip of paper from her pocket. “I have the tail number.”

Margaret stood up from her chair, her tall frame rigid.

“He would leave the country,” she said, almost to herself. “He would leave the firm in ruins just to save himself.”

“He doesn’t care about the firm, Margaret,” I said. “He only cares about his own skin.”

“If he flees, the press will destroy us,” Margaret said. “The shares will lose half their value by tomorrow morning.”

“The board will demand a full audit,” Grace added. “They will find the forged signatures on the trust amendments.”

Margaret walked over to the window, looking out into the rainy street.