The mahogany table in the First Horizon Bank conference room felt cold under my hands.

The smell of damp wool coats lingered in the small room from the morning rain.

Arthur sat on my left, polishing his thick glasses with a small gray cloth.

Mr.

Miller sat on my right.

The large glass doors of the bank lobby were sixty feet away, visible through the interior office windows.

We had been waiting in the quiet room for fourteen minutes.

I pulled my empty bank card from my winter coat pocket and slid it across the smooth wood.