He kept his eyes on the high, vaulted ceiling of the foyer, then let them trace the hand-carved molding down to the marble floor.

“This is a beautiful home, Patricia,” Vance said.

His voice was too quiet for the grand space, but it carried to every corner.

“Sixteen thousand square feet of prime Buckhead real estate,” Patricia said, her chin rising.

“My late husband built this family’s legacy block by block,” she added.

“No,” Vance said. “He didn’t.”

The general stepped toward the grand staircase and tapped his knuckles against the polished cherrywood banister.

The wood made a solid, heavy sound.

“This estate was purchased in the autumn of 2018,” Vance said.

“By the Monroe Family Trust,” Grant muttered, wiping his wet brow with the back of his hand.

“By Apex Defense Group,” Vance corrected him.

He looked at me, then back at Grant.

“A shell company registered in Delaware,” I said.

The rain slammed against the leaded glass windows behind us, casting long, watery shadows across the Persian rug.

“Apex Defense Group was funded by a twenty-two million dollar logistics subcontract,” Vance said.