Darren turned it over, squinting. Then he gave a short laugh. “You know these things are all over the internet, right? Military-style coins, collector stuff. People buy them all the time.” He looked up, a smirk forming. “You can’t expect me to take this seriously.”
The room shifted, subtly at first. A few customers nearby glanced over, sensing something off in the tone, if not yet understanding the substance. Harold’s eyes followed the coin in Darren’s hand, and for the first time, there was a flicker of something sharper behind his calm.
“Put that down,” Harold said quietly.
It wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be. But it carried a firmness that made one of the tellers at the next station pause mid-count.
Darren didn’t put it down immediately. Instead, he held it up slightly, as if inspecting it again for flaws. “Relax,” he said. “I’m just trying to understand what you’re presenting here.”
