“No,” I said, shaking my head. “We go to the board meeting.”

“Grace, that is dangerous,” Julian warned.

“If we go to the police tonight, Margaret will use her influence to suppress it before anyone else can hear it,” I said.

“We play this in front of the major shareholders first,” I explained. “Once they hear it, they will force Ethan out to save the company’s stock.”

Julian rubbed his temples, his breathing heavy.

“You don’t understand how deep Margaret’s connections go, Grace,” Julian said. “She has judges, police chiefs, and state senators on her payroll.”

“We can bypass them by going public,” I said.

Julian shook his head, his face pale under the yellow kitchen light.

“If Margaret feels cornered, she will strike back with everything she has,” Julian said. “And she has been watching me.”

He looked out the window into the dark, snowy night.

“She has threatened me before,” Julian murmured. “She told me if I ever returned to Chicago, she would have me committed again.”

I frowned, looking at him. “Your institutionalization was years ago, Julian. You were discharged.”