The bank lobby smelled of damp floor mats and peppermint.

I stood at the teller window of the First National Bank branch at a quarter past ten in the morning.

Arthur kept his eyes fixed on his monitor.

The screen threw a blue glow across his forehead.

He pushed his thick wire-rimmed spectacles up with his thumb.

“The system’s showing a change to the Mitchell Family Holdings ledger,” Arthur said.

I took my handkerchief out of my coat pocket.