“I also have an outside auditor pulling some archived banking ledgers from Savannah,” she said.

I asked her what she expected to find in those regional records.

“A loose thread in their original credit applications,” she said.

“I’ll have the preliminary findings on your desk tomorrow.”

I thanked her and walked out to my car.

I left Brenda’s office and drove home to check on my wife before the brunch.

Evelyn was sitting in her quiet sunroom, resting under a thick knit shawl.

She held a cup of warm tea in both hands, watching the late morning light hit the garden grass.