A few weeks earlier, Nolan had come by my office for lunch with the last of the news.

The company had pursued full civil recovery of the eighty-six thousand; to avoid a criminal trial for commercial fraud, Damon had signed a restitution order that swept up his liquid assets and his retirement funds to satisfy it.

Wade had been forced to dissolve Redpoint for good, eating tax penalties and a ruined name.

The electronics and the ski trips and the lavish holiday gifts were long gone, replaced by legal bills.

Damon’s parents — the ones who had cheered him and laughed at me — had to remortgage their own home to cover the debts he’d talked them into co-signing.