He laid a heavy brass key on the desk.

“It’s in the floor safe behind the bookcase in my private office,” Vale said.

“The combination is on a card inside this pouch.”

Richard picked up the key and handed it to Nora.

“I’ll have my security team escort you to his office to retrieve it,” Richard said.

But Vale wasn’t finished.

He looked up at me, his eyes wide with a sudden, desperate panic.

“You don’t understand what you’ve started,” Vale said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Margaret knew this day might come,” Vale said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

“She has been preparing for weeks.”

Richard frowned, stepping closer.

“Preparing how?”

“She has already started liquidating the offshore accounts,” Vale said.

“The Whitmore estate has millions in liquid assets in Zurich and the Cayman Islands.”

“She’s moving them,” Nora realized, her eyes narrowing.

“She’s draining everything,” Vale said.

“If she realizes I’ve talked, she will empty every single account and disappear.”

“She has a private jet on standby at Westchester County Airport,” Vale added.

“She’s planning to flee the country.”