Ethel shrugged. “I was just stubborn enough to stand my ground. And when the boys gave an inch, I took a mile. Not for me, but for the Bureau and all it stands for. That’s my advice to you. It’s about integrity, fairness, and justice indiscriminately applied. Make those your goals and you’ll blaze your own trail.”

“Thank you.” Lisa turned to leave, then stopped. “As for your racing mind, treat yourself to a second banana and sleep well.”

Later, Ethel sat on the edge of her bed, more troubled than she’d been before the conversation with Lisa. Had she given the impression that she considered Douglas Gray to be a suspect to be investigated? Would Lisa take that on herself? Or would Lisa tell him what Ethel said about the mandatory DNA sampling? She’d thrown a stone in the pond to watch the ripple effects and weigh the consequences.

But what weighed heaviest upon her was the advice she’d given Lisa. Integrity, fairness, justice. How did concealing Jesse’s discovery of Jonathan’s hard drive, and the existence of the multimillion dollar wallet, square with those values? The Secret Service or FBI might be able to hack past the private key, but other than accessing the money, it would only remove the carrot that might keep Jonathan’s killers in the game. She thought about what her father would have done. What he would have prioritized. Three words sprang to mind and she heard them in his long-silent voice: “Solve the case.”

She and Jesse had Jonathan’s KryptoFold device. If they couldn’t get that to work, then they would be at a dead end, and she would turn over everything they’d discovered. She knew that would reflect badly upon Jonathan Finch at a time when his wife and son needed an honorable memory to cling to. The revelation of the backup drive could wait till after the funeral.

She checked her watch. Twenty minutes after eleven. Late but not so late to keep her from calling. She picked up her phone and speed-dialed.

Cory Bradshaw’s voice rumbled. “What now?”

“I’m anticipating an inquiry from Susan Finch first thing in the morning regarding the status of her husband’s body. I’m hoping you can give me something to tell her.”

Without hesitation, he offered, “We’re releasing the body tomorrow. I planned on notifying her first thing.”

“Good. That’s good. Do you know anything about a funeral service?”

“Just that we received a call from a funeral parlor in Richmond. Walker or Walthers. They said when the body was released it should come to them. Why?”

“Just an address to send flowers, but I can ask Susan in the morning.”

“Do me a favor and ask whether she now has a funeral date. I’d like to have as many of Finch’s colleagues attend as possible.”

“Certainly. Thanks, Cory.”