“You people?”
Rebecca realized the danger.
She corrected too quickly.
“Consultants.”
Imani almost smiled.
Rebecca continued:
“Outside consultants.”
“Activists.”
“Ambulance-chasing accountants.”
“Whatever you call yourselves.”
Imani lowered her voice.
“Forensic accountant works.”
Rebecca’s smile sharpened.
“Of course.”
“You make spreadsheets and suddenly you think you’re law enforcement.”
“No.”
“I know exactly what I am.”
She pointed toward the folder.
“And I know exactly what that is.”
Rebecca looked at the scattered pages.
Then back at Imani.
“Trash.”
The revolving door began to move.
Imani heard it before she looked.
One section rotated inward.
A broad-shouldered man in a plain navy suit entered carrying another sealed envelope.
Behind him came Sterling Crown’s executive branch director.
And behind them, moving much faster than a man his age usually did, came Graham Vale.
Rebecca saw Graham first.
Relief crossed her face.
“Mr. Vale.”
Graham did not answer.
His attention had gone directly to the pages on the floor.
Then to Imani’s handbag.
Then to Rebecca.
His expression changed.
Rebecca hurried toward him.
“This woman came in without authorization and started demanding—”
The man in the navy suit stepped past her.
“Ms. Brooks?”
Imani nodded.
“Daniel Cross.”
“Court enforcement.”
He lifted the sealed envelope slightly.
“We spoke.”
Rebecca stopped.
The color left her face.
Daniel looked around.
Then at the floor.
“Are those copies of the order?”
Imani said:
“Certified copies.”
Graham Vale closed his eyes.
Rebecca whispered:
“Order?”
Daniel ignored her.
He stepped to the counter.
Placed the new envelope beside Rebecca’s keyboard.
“Sterling Crown Private Bank has been served with an emergency preservation and asset-restraint order issued this morning.”
Rebecca stared.
The young teller took one involuntary step backward.
Graham said:
“Rebecca.”
She looked toward him.
“What?”
His voice was low.
“What did you do?”
Rebecca’s face changed.
The question was not what she expected from him.
“She came in here—”
Daniel opened the envelope.
“No one touches a terminal.”
Rebecca instinctively turned toward her computer.
Daniel moved his hand between her and the keyboard.
“Don’t.”
She froze.
“Excuse me?”
“Step away.”
Rebecca looked at Graham.
He said nothing.
She looked at Imani.
“You did this?”
Imani picked up one of the pages from the floor.
“No.”
“Your transactions did.”
Rebecca went pale.
Daniel removed another page.
“This order freezes specific internal transfer permissions, specified personal accounts, designated vault access credentials, and records associated with nineteen named accounts pending forensic preservation.”
Rebecca whispered:
“Whose personal accounts?”
Daniel looked directly at her.
“Yours are among them.”
The lobby went silent.
Rebecca stared as though he had spoken another language.
“That is impossible.”
Daniel continued:
“You are prohibited from moving, deleting, modifying, transmitting, or destroying records related to the accounts identified in Schedule B.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“No.”
Imani picked up another page.
Rebecca looked toward Graham.