Clara twisted the heavy emerald ring on her right hand until her knuckle turned dark red, her jaw locked tight.

“Your Honor,” Martha Gable said, rising smoothly from her seat.

“We ask permission to present certified bank records and security documentation provided by senior branch manager Samuel Reed.”

In the third row of the gallery, Samuel Reed stood up with a flat black case under his arm.

He adjusted his thin wire-frame glasses as he walked forward to the clerk’s table.

“Mr.