By noon, my phone chimed with two consecutive text messages from Gavin.

They were not angry or pleading in tone, but rather unusually direct.

“Can we please meet to talk somewhere public?” the first message read.

A moment later, a second message arrived: “I need to explain the company bank transfers to you.”

I handed my phone to Chloe so she could read the messages.

“He knows you found the missing money,” Chloe noted.

“Most likely,” I agreed.