She walked behind her desk, which was piled high with manila folders and reference books.

“On what grounds?” I asked, sitting in one of the leather chairs.

“They claim you are unlawfully withholding foundation assets,” Rachel said, tapping a printed document on her desk. “Specifically, the historical financial records.”

“They’re panicking,” Daniel said, setting his laptop down and opening the lid. “They know the ledger contains the original tracing of the foundation’s capital.”

“They also know that Claire is the only one who can legally verify her mother’s signature on the trust bylaws,” Rachel said.

She looked at me, her eyes tired but sharp.

“Vance is trying to freeze you out of the foundation’s accounts before you can speak to the board,” she said.

“When is the next board meeting?” I asked.

“It was scheduled for next Tuesday,” Rachel said. “But Vance just called an emergency session.”

Daniel looked up from his screen.

“He’s using the pending land transfer as the excuse,” Daniel said. “He’s telling the board they need to ratify the sale immediately to cover a sudden tax liability.”

“A liability he manufactured,” I said.