“Because a title search is what a buyer asks for before putting cash down on land,” Daniel said.

I reached out and slid my Navy wire statement next to his white court filing.

I stared down at the two conflicting tax receipts lying side by side under the lamp.

At seven the next morning, I put both tax receipts in my coat pocket and drove straight to Daniel Vance’s law office on High Street.

Daniel sat behind his wide oak desk with three tall stacks of cream legal pads.

The damp salt breeze off the Elizabeth River drifted in through the cracked window, bringing the smell of river silt into the small room.