I leaned back against the stiff hospital pillows, my eyes tracking a small crack in the plaster ceiling.

“He is your son, Vivian.”

“He is a liability,” she said flatly.

“And now he is the government’s problem. I suggest you focus on your own survival.”

“I am surviving just fine,” I said.

“We will see how you fare when the rest of the ledger is unraveled,” she said.

“Arthur Vance was very thorough.”

Before I could ask her what she meant, the line went dead.

I slowly lowered the phone to my lap and looked back at Agent Miller.

“She mentioned Arthur Vance,” I said.

Agent Miller’s expression remained guarded, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Mr. Vance has been cooperating with our forensic team since yesterday evening,” Miller said.

“He delivered the physical ledger to our evidence locker.”

“The black book,” I said.

“The original one my late father-in-law kept.”

“Yes,” Miller said.

“Our financial analysts are currently processing the entries.”

He stood up, adjusting his dark windbreaker.

“I need to return to the courthouse,” he said.

“Judge Mallory has called an emergency session for two o’clock this afternoon.”