“I hope this won’t take long,” Richard said, his booming voice filling the quiet room.

“I’ve got a twelve o’clock meeting at the country club.”

“Have a seat, Mr.

Miller,” Dalton said.

Richard pulled out the leather chair in the middle, directly across from me, and sat down with both hands flat on the polished wood.

Evelyn slipped into the chair on his left, holding her purse tight against her knees.

Chloe sat at the far end and laid her phone face up on the mahogany, where it lit up every few seconds with new notifications.

Vance slumped into the seat next to Chloe, propping his elbows on the armrests and staring past my left shoulder.