“I’m with the Virginia Real Estate Board,” the man said, handing him a white envelope. “You are being served with a formal notice of investigation regarding ethical violations and financial misconduct.”

Thomas stared at the envelope, his face turning completely white.

“We have also received copies of the court filings from this morning,” the second man said.

Thomas looked toward us, his eyes wide with a mixture of panic and rage.

His phone began to vibrate in his jacket pocket.

He pulled it out, looking at the screen.

I could see the name of his largest client flashing on the display.

He didn’t answer it.

“Let’s go home, Caroline,” I said, turning away from him.

We walked down the long corridor toward the exit, the sound of Thomas’s vibrating phone echoing behind us.

As we reached the heavy glass doors of the courthouse, my own phone buzzed in my purse.

I pulled it out and looked at the screen.

It was an email notification from the bank holding Caroline’s trust.

The subject line read: *Urgent Notification: Unauthorized Access Attempt.*

I stopped under the stone archway of the courthouse exit.