“I’ve been hearing that all my life.”

“I hope you no longer take it entirely as a compliment.”

I sat down.

He explained that several foundation managers had routed money through consulting firms, creating false grant records and obscuring the ultimate beneficiaries.

My father had authorized a private investigation before his final illness, but there had been fierce disagreement about disclosing its findings.

After my father’s death, Arthur believed senior insiders could destroy the evidence or retaliate against him.

“Why pretend to be dead?” I asked.