The desk was an old oak roll-top that had belonged to my late husband.

I switched on the brass banker’s lamp.

Green light washed over the dark wood.

I opened my laptop computer and waited for it to boot up.

My hands were cold, so I rubbed them together before typing.

I began by entering Thomas’s full name into the search engine.

Thomas Gregory Harper.

Then I added the name of his company: Harper Commercial Real Estate.

I had not paid much attention to his business over the years.

He had always bragged about his developments in downtown Richmond.

He spoke of strip malls and medical offices as if he had built them with his own two hands.

The first search results were standard promotional links from his own website.

But when I scrolled down to the local news sections, the tone of the headlines changed.

A Richmond business journal article from three weeks ago caught my eye.

“Harper Commercial Holdings Faces Multiple Breach of Contract Lawsuits,” the headline read.

I clicked the link.

The screen glowed white in the dim room, hurting my eyes.