His voice did not shake.

He walked past Julian and stood near the edge of the mahogany desk.

Nathaniel Vale set his briefcase on the green leather surface of the desk.

The brass latches clicked open with a sharp, metallic sound that made Miranda flinch.

“What is the meaning of this intrusion?” Miranda asked.

She tried to make her voice command the room, but it cracked on the last word.

She gripped the edge of her desk so hard her knuckles turned the color of chalk.

“We have a warrant to secure the Sterling Trust ledger,” Investigator Vance said.

He did not look at her; his eyes searched the shelves until they landed on the open wall safe.

“And we are here to oversee the delivery of the certified documents,” Vance added.

Nathaniel Vale pulled a thick sheaf of papers from his briefcase.

The documents were bound in blue legal cardstock, stamped with a red wax seal at the corner.

“These are the original certified bank records from the Zurich ledger,” Vale said.

He laid them flat on the desk, directly in front of Miranda.