Chương 15
“You admit it?”
“Yes.”
The admission disarmed him more effectively than arguing.
“It was emotional and probably childish.”
“Then undo it.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.”
I let the silence sit.
“But my bad decision does not require another one.”
“So that’s it?”
“I’m not giving you six thousand dollars.”
“You have it.”
“That isn’t relevant.”
“It’s easy for you to say.”
“No, Kyle.”
My voice rose before I could stop it.
“You don’t get to decide that losing six thousand dollars is easy for me because I have savings.”
He said nothing.
I lowered my voice again.
“I worked for that money.”
“I work too.”
“Then act like it.”
The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
Kyle went silent.
Not angry silence this time.
Wounded.
I rubbed my forehead.
“That was cheap.”
“Whatever.”
“No.”
I sighed.
“That was cheap.”
“You meant it.”
“Part of me did.”
“Great.”
“And part of me is angry about the cruise, so I’m not pretending I’m objective right now.”
He laughed bitterly.
“At least you’re self-aware.”
“Don’t make me regret apologizing.”
“I’m not asking for an apology.”
“I know.”
He was quiet another moment.
Then he said, “I’ll figure it out.”
“Okay.”
“Without you.”
“That may be better.”
“You’d like that.”
I almost answered.
Instead I said, “Return Sabrina’s property.”
He hung up.
I placed the phone on the counter.
For several minutes, I stood there doing nothing.
Then Buddy woke, stretched, and walked over to press his head against my leg.
I scratched behind his ears.
“You know what I like about you?”
He looked up.
“You ask for food honestly.”
My phone buzzed.
I expected Kyle.
It was an unknown number.
The message contained no greeting.
My name is Sabrina Cole.
I believe you are currently staying at the Brooks residence.
I need to retrieve property belonging to me.
Please call me before anyone moves or disposes of anything.
I read the message twice.
Then I called her.
She answered immediately.
“Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
Her voice was calm, but there was a tightness underneath it.
“I’m not at my parents’ house right now.”
“I know.”
That bothered me.
“How?”
“Kyle told me you took the dog.”
“When?”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
Of course he had.
“What property are you trying to retrieve?”
She hesitated.
“A jewelry case.”
“I know about the case.”
Silence.
Then, “How much do you know?”
“Enough to know it was moved this morning.”
Another silence.
“By Evan?”
“Yes.”
She exhaled slowly.
“I told Kyle not to move anything.”
“Did he tell you why he wanted it moved?”
“He didn’t tell me he was moving it at all.”
I looked toward Buddy.
He had fallen asleep again, entirely uninterested in human finance.
“Sabrina, I don’t have the case.”
“I understand.”
“Evan has it.”
“That’s what I suspected.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing.”
That answer surprised me.
“I just need you not to let anyone back into the house if they try to take anything else.”
“There’s more?”
“No.”
She stopped.
Then added, “Not that belongs to me.”
I rubbed my forehead.
“Did Kyle tell you about the watch?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Last night.”
That surprised me more.
“He said you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t until last night.”
“What did he tell you?”
“That the buyer challenged authenticity and that he no longer had the full proceeds.”
Her voice remained controlled.
Too controlled.
“How much does he owe you?”
“Eleven thousand two hundred.”
More than Evan had guessed.
“Does that include the watch?”
“It includes proceeds from two sales.”
I sat down.
“Two?”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
Kyle had left that out.
Of course he had.
“What’s the second item?”
“A bracelet.”
“How much?”
“Six thousand.”
“And he spent that money too?”
“Most of it.”
She said it without anger.
That somehow made it worse.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I’m meeting an attorney tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“I’m also retrieving everything I still own.”
“That seems smart.”
“I’d rather not involve your parents if I don’t have to.”
“Why?”
“Because they didn’t do this.”
That simple sentence made me like her immediately.
She continued.
“I also don’t want this becoming some family spectacle.”
I looked through my apartment toward nothing.
“You picked the wrong family.”
A small laugh escaped her.
Then she said, “Kyle told me about the cruise.”
That shut me up.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be.”
“I know.”
She paused.
“But I am.”
I did not know what to say to that.
So I asked the practical question.
“When do you want to get the rest of your property?”
“Today, if possible.”
“From Evan?”
“Yes.”
“I can meet you.”
“You don’t need to.”
“I know.”
That phrase had changed meaning over the last two days.
Need and choice were not the same thing.
“I want to make sure nothing else happens at my parents’ house.”
“All right.”
We agreed to meet in Bellevue at two.
Before hanging up, Sabrina said, “For what it’s worth, the watch was authentic.”
“You had it verified?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is the buyer saying it isn’t?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Could he be trying to force a refund?”
“Possibly.”
“So Kyle may have two problems, not one.”
“Yes.”
Her voice softened slightly.
“But one of those problems he created himself.”
At two, Sabrina arrived at my parents’ house in a dark blue Volvo.
She was in her early thirties, wearing jeans, a black sweater, and the matching cream flat.
I looked at her feet before I could stop myself.
She noticed.
“That’s embarrassing.”
“I have the other one.”
“I assumed.”
I handed it to her inside the entryway.
She inspected the muddy sole.
“Buddy?”
“Buddy.”
“That tracks.”
She looked toward the living room.
Then stopped.
“Oh.”
I had forgotten what it looked like to someone who did not know.
“This is temporary.”
She stared at the restaurant tables.
Then at the counter panels.
Then at the sign.
“You did this?”
May you like
“Yes.”
“Why?”
