“We cannot have an active partner implicated in a criminal investigation while negotiating with major creditors.”

He looked at Bianca, then back to Graham.

“We have to preserve what is left of our client relations,” Elliot continued.

“Every hour we wait is an hour of exposure we cannot afford.”

Graham swallowed hard, his fingers twitching against his sides.

“Elliot, think about the history we have,” Graham said.

“Think about the deals we closed.”

“I am thinking about the survival of Whitaker-Crane,” Elliot said.

Robert reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a second document, smaller than the first.

He laid it on the entry table, right next to my silver tray of mail.

“This is the formal demand for the books,” Robert said.

“We expect full cooperation by nine tomorrow morning.”

Graham looked at the document on the silver tray, then slowly raised his head.

His eyes met mine, filled with a mixture of disbelief and growing rage.

The front door handle rattled again as a sudden gust of wind blew against the porch.

Outside, the streetlights flickered once, casting long, jumping shadows across the limestone floor of our home.