“How much?” Ethan asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“With the late fees and the damages to the drywall? Twelve thousand,” Brenner said, squinting.

Ms. Vance cleared her throat and stepped back toward the nurses’ station.

“This is a hospital, gentlemen,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “If you are going to dispute debts, you must do it outside.”

“No,” Ethan said. “We will settle it right here.”

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his phone.

He tapped the screen twice and held it to his ear.

“Paul,” Ethan said into the receiver. “I need you on the fourth floor of St. Anne’s. Now.”

He hung up without waiting for an answer.

Brenner wiped his nose with the back of his dirty sleeve, leaving a wet smear.

“I don’t know who you think you are, mister,” Brenner said, looking at Ethan’s expensive watch. “But I have the eviction papers and a signed lease.”

“I know exactly who you are,” Ethan said, his eyes fixed on Brenner’s face. “You are the man who put a five-year-old child out on the street in a blizzard.”