“That’s exactly what you said when I found the forged loans.”

He pressed the device to his chest like a child. He wasn’t a boy hiding a bad grade anymore. He was a thirty-four-year-old man who had used his mother’s guilt and love to hold up a life built on lies.

Ray Lawson, waiting in the hallway, came in at the sound of raised voices.

“Deleting messages related to a forgery will make your legal position considerably worse,” he said.

Spencer looked at his mother and saw that she wasn’t crying. He handed over the phone.

The messages came from Garrick Stone, the crooked lawyer who’d helped set up Spencer’s business. The thread held photographs of the ticket, samples of Abigail’s signature, and a draft power of attorney authorizing Spencer to manage her assets due to temporary incapacity.