I tried for two years to have someone reconcile those invoices, she wrote.

I thought I was the only one who noticed.

I called Elaine to ask whether I could respond.

She advised me to keep the reply general and avoid discussing matters under review.

I wrote back: You were not the only one.

I am sorry no one listened sooner.

Then I set the letter beside my grandmother’s photograph.

For years Dennis told me that the company would collapse if people stopped trusting his judgment.