“He went forty-five thousand dollars into debt for a family that was actively planning to bleed him dry,” I said.

“He bought that new car just to keep up with their lifestyle.”

Evelyn closed her eyes.

“How do we show him the truth?” she asked.

“We use the exact financial traps they built,” I said.

Evelyn didn’t let go of my hand.

At four o’clock, I went into my home study and unlocked the bottom drawer for my briefcase.

The brass lock clicked sharply in the quiet room.