“Are you alright?” Gabriel asked, looking over at me.

“I will be,” I said. “When this is finally finished.”

“The ledgers are the key,” Gabriel said. “With Joseph Vance and Sterling tied to the fraud, your father’s political protection is gone.”

“They will prosecute him for the foundation embezzlement within forty-eight hours,” he added.

We arrived at Gabriel’s building, a sleek steel tower overlooking the lake.

The elevator took us straight to his penthouse.

The apartment was minimalist, with dark wood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows showing the dark, churning lake.

Gabriel set the leather bag on the kitchen island.

Eleanor sat on the leather sofa, looking exhausted but relieved.

“Your mother wanted you to have these, Claire,” Eleanor said quietly.

“She knew you were the only one who could handle the truth,” she said.

“Why did she wait so long to give them to me?” I asked, touching the cold leather of the satchel.

“She was afraid,” Eleanor said. “Richard is a dangerous man when he is cornered.”

“She wanted to protect you until you were strong enough to fight back,” she added.