Victor leaned back and suggested that Arthur’s recent public appearances had made investors question his judgment.

Arthur asked whether Victor was referring to the morning he ordered tea in a roadside diner.

Victor did not answer.

Hannah closed the portfolio and told him the meeting was over.

As Victor stood, he made one final mistake.

He said that a young waiter should be careful about becoming involved in matters he could not understand.

Arthur remained seated until Victor reached the door.

Then he asked how Victor knew the waiter had been involved in the investigation.

Victor stopped with his hand on the handle.

He claimed that everyone in the county knew the story.

Arthur said that everyone knew about the breakfast, but very few people knew Jonah had helped preserve business records.

Victor left without responding.

Hannah wrote down his exact words before anyone else spoke.

Interlude Twenty-Three: Lucy’s Astronomy Night

The school held its annual astronomy exhibition on a Friday evening in early March.

Lucy had spent three weeks building a model that showed how Saturn’s rings were made of countless pieces rather than a single solid band.

Jonah arrived wearing the only jacket he owned without a stain on the cuff.

Marta came with her sister, and Arthur appeared quietly near the back of the gymnasium.

Lucy saw him and waved so enthusiastically that one of the paper moons fell from her display.

Arthur picked it up and handed it back without making a joke about gravity.

For an hour Jonah forgot about invoices, threats, and lawyers.

He listened while Lucy explained orbital resonance to a retired mechanic who had never heard the term.

She spoke with the confidence of someone who had finally discovered a subject nobody could take away from her.

Near the end of the evening, Jonah noticed a man standing by the exit with his phone raised.

The man lowered the phone when Jonah looked toward him.

Jonah alerted the principal and remained beside Lucy’s display.

A school employee approached the stranger and asked whether he had a child attending the exhibition.

The man said he was a reporter covering the event.

He could not name his publication.

The employee asked him to leave and recorded his vehicle information.

Arthur watched the exchange from across the gym.

He later apologized to Jonah for the attention that had followed their friendship.

Jonah said he did not want an apology that made Arthur responsible for every cruel choice another person made.