She did not answer.

The silence lasted long enough for the kitchen clock to strike seven.

Then Mark said, “This is between me and Laura.”

“Not anymore,” I replied.

“It involves corporate funds, employees, lenders, and potentially other people who relied on what they were told.”

He sat down slowly.

For the first time that evening, the posture he’d perfected in conference rooms seemed to fail him.

Elise explained the next practical step.