Then Rowan.
Then the wallet again.
“Where did you find that?”
“Ashcombe Square.”
Something changed in her face.
Rowan noticed immediately.
“Where exactly?”
“Third bench from the fountain.”
Vivian’s breathing changed.
Barely.
“What time?”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
“Did anyone see you pick it up?”
Rowan frowned.
“I don’t know.”
“Did anyone speak to you?”
“No.”
Vivian finally took the wallet.
She opened it.
Checked the cash.
Not by counting.
Simply looking.
Then the cards.
Then the photograph.
Everything was there.
“You didn’t take anything?”
Rowan’s irritation surfaced.
“If I had, I probably wouldn’t have walked here.”
Vivian looked at him again.
Longer this time.
“I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“It sounded like you did.”
“You’re right.”
That surprised him.
Most wealthy people Rowan had encountered did not apologize quickly.
Vivian stepped back.
“Come inside.”
“No, thank you.”
“Mr. Mercer.”
Rowan stopped.
He had not given his name.
He looked down at his work jacket.
No company patch.
No name tag.
Then back at her.
“How do you know my name?”
Vivian went still.
That was the moment everything changed.
The simple lost-wallet return disappeared.
The rain.
The money.
The walk.
All of it became something else.
Vivian looked toward the street.
Then at Rowan.
“Please come inside.”
Rowan did not move.
“How do you know my name?”
“I’ll explain.”
“Explain here.”
“I would rather not.”
Rowan looked behind him.
Empty sidewalk.
Wet street.
A dark sedan parked fifty yards away.
Engine off.
He looked back.
“Five minutes.”
Vivian nodded.
“Five minutes.”
The house was quieter than Rowan expected.
Not the silence of emptiness.
The silence of insulation.
Street noise vanished the moment the door closed.
Vivian led him into a study lined with books, framed photographs, and old architectural drawings. A fire burned low in a narrow fireplace.
“Sit.”
Rowan stayed standing.
Vivian closed the door.
Then locked it.
The sound was small.
Rowan heard it clearly.
“That makes me less comfortable.”
Vivian looked at the lock.
Then unlocked it.
“Fair.”
She placed the wallet on the desk.
“Did you open the hidden compartment?”
“What hidden compartment?”
Her eyes narrowed.
Rowan crossed his arms.
“I opened it enough to find your address.”