“Clara?” Arthur’s voice was thick with sleep. “It is nearly midnight.”

“They are here, Arthur,” I said.

“The IRS. They have an arrest warrant.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

“Did he sign?” Arthur asked.

“He signed,” I said, looking at the heavy briefcase in my hand.

“Good,” Arthur whispered. “I will be there in ten minutes.”

I hung up and walked back toward the dining room.

Ethan was sitting at the table, his head buried in his hands.

The second agent was standing in the doorway, watching him.

“Mr. Lawson,” the agent said. “Please stand up and place your hands behind your back.”

Ethan did not move at first.

The agent stepped closer, his hand resting near his hip.

“Ethan,” I said. “Do what he says.”

Ethan slowly stood.

His face was gray in the overhead light.

The metallic click of the handcuffs sounded incredibly loud in the quiet room.

Lila stood in the corner of the kitchen, visible through the open doorway, weeping silently.

“We will need to secure his phone and laptop,” Agent Miller said, entering the room.