“He submitted paperwork claiming Ethan needed daily private transport to an elite tutoring center sixty miles off.”

“Ethan has never set foot in a tutoring center in Columbus,” I said.

“The trust management company doesn’t check physical attendance,” Arthur said.

“All they check is that the legal guardian signed the expense voucher.”

A shadow fell across our table before Arthur could fold the bank statement back into his pocket.

Bradley Collins stood next to our booth, holding a heavy leather briefcase in his left hand and tapping a gold-capped fountain pen against his thumb.

He laid a thick legal file on the edge of our table, leaving an unredacted exhibit draft sitting in plain view beside Arthur’s coffee mug.