Daniel looked up from his tablet, his thumb scrolling rapidly.

“The restaurant accounts are running dry, Helen,” Daniel said. “Gavin diverted the operating liquid capital over the last three months. I’m looking at the ledger now. It’s a ghost town.”

My chest tightened.

“Where did the money go, Daniel?” I asked.

“It went into a series of shell companies registered in Delaware,” Daniel replied. “But the transfers required internal approval from someone else on the board. Someone with administrative override.”

I looked at Helen.

“Where is Dad?” I asked.

Helen looked away, her eyes scanning the empty ballroom floor.

“He said he was feeling unwell,” she muttered. “He went home hours ago, before the police arrived.”

“To the estate?” I asked.

“No, to his apartment downtown,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction.

The cold wind from the harbor blew a stray program booklet across the floor.

The ballroom felt cavernous and empty now, the remnants of the ruined gala scattered around us.

“We need to go to the house,” I said.

“Emily, it is nearly midnight,” Evelyn warned. “The police are still processing Gavin. You should wait for the morning.”