“This says I approved the transfer.”
Rebecca looked at Dad, not me.
That was answer enough.
Mitchell stood.
“Rebecca, what did you do?”
She began gathering her purse and coat.
“We should leave.”
He did not move.
“What did you do?”
Dad stepped between them verbally, as he always had.
“The house was going to remain in the family.
Rebecca had the resources to maintain it.
Claire could barely manage an apartment after her divorce.”
My mother made a sound like air leaving a punctured tire.
“You told me Evelyn left the house to you,” she said.
“She intended me to control it.”
“That isn’t what the deed says,” I replied.
Dad turned on me.
“You would sell it the first time you needed cash.”
“I wasn’t given that power.
Neither were you.
The trust protects the house for Emma and Lily.”
He waved a hand toward my daughters.
“They’re children.
They don’t need a house.”
“They also didn’t need dinner, according to you.”
The words landed harder than I expected.
My mother covered her mouth.
Aunt Cheryl looked away.
Neil stared at Dad as if seeing him from a new angle.
Miriam continued speaking through the phone.
“The notary whose seal appears on the second deed has already provided a statement.
She says Claire was not present.
Surveillance footage from the office lobby supports that.”
Rebecca sat down again.
Her knees seemed unable to hold her.
Dad’s voice dropped.
“What exactly do you want, Claire?”
It was the question powerful people ask when they finally realize the person beneath them has leverage.
“I want every dollar restored.”
“That’s impossible.”
“I want a complete accounting.”
“You’ll destroy this family.”
“And I want you to stop using that sentence whenever someone refuses to protect your secrets.”
He looked toward my mother.
“Elaine, say something.”
She did.
“How much?”
Dad blinked.
“How much money did you take from the girls?” she asked.
Miriam answered.
“The preliminary total is $286,430, excluding the attempted property transfer and any interest, penalties, or professional fees.”
My mother gripped the table.
Neil whispered a curse.
Mitchell turned to Rebecca.
“How much of that went to us?”
