Paying three hundred thousand dollars of debt before being ordered out of the house
The lobby of my office building was quiet at four o’clock. The brass elevators gleamed under the soft yellow lights, and the scent of damp wool clung to the rugs near the revolving doors. I was waiting for David Vance to return my call when a shadow fell across the polished marble floor.
Evelyn stood near the directory board, her beige trench coat draped over her shoulders. She adjusted her three-strand pearl necklace, her fingers resting on the clasp for a second before smoothing her collar. She looked entirely out of place against the sterile granite and steel of the building.
“Clare, dear,” she said, her voice carrying that soft, measured cadence that always made me feel like I was standing in a courtroom. “I hoped I would catch you before you went up.”
“Evelyn,” I said, straightening my wristwatch, feeling the leather band tight against my skin. “Is everything alright with Arthur?”
“Arthur is fine,” she said, stepping closer until I could smell her heavy lavender perfume. “But I received a very distressed call from Marcus. He feels as though he is being cross-examined in his own home.”
