The room looked official enough that it would have been easy to believe someone at its head could make every uncertainty disappear.

The ledger went onto the table first.

Evelyn identified it and explained where it had been kept and found.

Daniel described the corroborating records and the limits of what it established.

The entries continued through the period relevant to the 1998 expense arrangements.

Marjorie watched the pages turn.

“Julian was already planning to give me the house,” she said.

Daniel looked at her.