Chapter 2 – Nine Minutes
Richard checked his watch and laughed.
“Nine minutes?” he said loudly enough for everyone on the lawn to hear. “That’s how long your fantasy lasts?”
A ripple of uneasy laughter passed through the Easter guests.
Arthur didn’t react.
He gently adjusted the blanket over Lily and quietly closed the truck door.
Inside the mansion, whispers spread from one group to another. Some guests suddenly found reasons to leave. Others reached for their phones.
Then every phone in Richard’s pocket began vibrating.
One call.
Then another.
Then five more.
His chief financial officer.
His corporate attorney.
His executive assistant.
He rejected them all.
The next call came from the chairman of his company’s board.
Richard finally answered.
“What?”
His expression changed.
“What do you mean federal investigators requested our financial records?”
He listened for several more seconds.
“No… don’t move anything.”
He hung up.
For the first time that afternoon, he wasn’t smiling.
Arthur simply watched.
