I got up from the armchair and adjusted the canvas strap of my duffel bag where it leaned against the entryway wall.

“I’ll be in the sunroom,” I told Vance.

“Call me when sheet four is ready to review.”

The sunroom looked out over the eastern cove of Lake Anne, where gray mist drifted across the dark water.

Chloe came in forty minutes later, dragging her heels across the slate tile floor.

Her eyes were red, and her silk pajama top was wrinkled at the cuffs.

“The ballroom deposit for the wedding was forty thousand dollars,” Chloe said, stopping near the wicker table.