“There’s one open item left on my desk,” she said.

Hannah carried her empty plate to the sink, ran the tap and went into the living room to pack her school bag.

I picked up the phone and switched off the speaker.

“What open item?” I asked her.

“The state licensing board called my office yesterday afternoon,” Claire said.

She dropped her voice into her careful, guarded lawyer’s tone.

“They’re auditing Richard’s contracting business over the commercial equipment lease default.

They want to know exactly why his business accounts were frozen in November.”