“Look at the receiving company on the second page,” I said.

“Vaughn Consulting LLC.”

“That matches the secondary corporate ledger we pulled this morning,” Mr.

Vance murmured, turning a crisp page in his own heavy black binder.

“We ran the forensic audit on Cole Whitmore’s discretionary client accounts yesterday morning.

The total shortfall across the firm’s portfolios is a lot bigger than two hundred and eighty thousand dollars.”

“How much bigger?” I asked, leaning against the edge of the metal desk.

“Two million four hundred thousand dollars,” Mr.