Chương 5
“Mom, Margaret found a property transfer filed yesterday.”
Her mother’s expression changed slowly.
“What property?”
“The chalet.”
Elaine stared into the camera.
“No.”
“Your name is on it.”
“No.”
“Mom—”
“I said no.”
The force of it surprised Emily.
Elaine sat up.
“I did not sign away that house.”
Emily swallowed.
“Okay.”
“Caroline said she was fixing the insurance.”
Behind Emily, the study door opened.
Caroline stood there.
Their mother saw her on the screen.
“Is that your sister?”
Emily turned.
Caroline’s face had drained of color.
Elaine said, “Caroline.”
Caroline walked into the room.
“Mom.”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t say nothing. Emily doesn’t call me asking about deeds because nothing happened.”
“I was going to explain.”
Emily stared at her.
“When?”
Caroline ignored her.
“Mom, Dad wanted the house consolidated.”
Elaine’s face tightened.
“What does that mean?”
“He didn’t want us fighting over it.”
“So you forged my name?”
Caroline flinched.
“I didn’t forge anything.”
Margaret appeared in the doorway behind her.
Elaine saw her.
“Margaret?”
“I’m here.”
“What is happening?”
Margaret stepped into view.
“Elaine, I think you should avoid discussing details with any of us tonight beyond what you personally remember signing. I’m going to arrange for another attorney to speak with you so there is no question about whose interests are being represented.”
Elaine looked bewildered.
“I don’t want another attorney.”
“I understand.”
“I want somebody to tell me why my name is on something I didn’t sign.”
Caroline sat down hard in one of the leather chairs.
“Mom.”
Elaine looked at her eldest daughter.
For the first time that evening, Caroline appeared frightened.
Not caught.
Frightened.
Emily noticed the difference.
Caroline said, “Dad was going to sell the house.”
“He talked about selling it.”
“He needed to.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“He couldn’t afford everything.”
Elaine’s eyes narrowed.
“What couldn’t he afford?”
Caroline did not answer.
Emily felt the room change again.
Margaret said, “Caroline.”
Caroline stared at the rug.
“There were bills.”
“What bills?” Elaine asked.
“Your care. The house. Everything.”
“I am not in care.”
“You will be.”
Silence.
Caroline immediately looked horrified by her own words.
Their mother’s face went blank.
Emily said quietly, “Jesus, Caroline.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“How else could you mean it?”
Elaine said, “I’m going to bed.”
“Mom—”
“No.”
“Please.”
Elaine ended the call.
Caroline sat motionless with her hands between her knees.
Emily wanted to attack.
The words were lined up.
You did this.
You always do this.
You decide for everyone.
But she looked at Caroline and saw something she had not expected.
Her sister was crying.
Not dramatically.
Two tears had slipped down her face, and Caroline seemed almost annoyed by them.
She wiped them away with her thumb.
“She doesn’t understand what it costs.”
Emily said nothing.
“Dad didn’t tell her.”
“Tell her what?”
Caroline looked at Margaret.
Margaret’s expression was unreadable.
“Tell her what?”
Caroline stood.
“Their savings are almost gone.”
Emily stared at her.
“No.”
“They had plenty.”
“They had three hundred thousand less than you think they had.”
“What happened?”
“Life happened.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Dad’s cardiac care. Mom’s surgeries. Taxes. Repairs. He covered your cousin’s rehab twice. He kept lending money to people because he liked being the guy who could fix things.”
Emily looked toward Margaret.
“Is that true?”
“I do not manage their daily finances.”
“Do you know?”
“I know Robert discussed liquidity concerns with me.”
“When?”
“Beginning last spring.”
Emily felt betrayed by a dead man, which seemed both absurd and disloyal.
“He never said anything.”
Caroline laughed once.
“Of course he didn’t.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He liked being your successful father.”
“He was your father too.”
“He didn’t have to perform for me.”
Emily stared.
Caroline stood.
“I was here when the refrigerator died. I was here when Mom fell in the driveway. I was here when he got the first letter about the tax assessment. I was here when he sat at that table and admitted they couldn’t keep paying for everything.”
“So you stole the chalet?”
“I didn’t steal it.”
“You forged Mom’s signature.”
“I said I didn’t.”
“Then who did?”
Caroline’s mouth opened.
Closed.
Margaret said, “That is a direct question.”
Caroline looked at her.
“I don’t have to answer you.”
“No.”
“You keep saying no like you’re winning.”
“I am trying to be accurate.”
Caroline looked almost ready to scream.
Instead she walked out.
A cabinet slammed in the kitchen.
Margaret exhaled.
Emily looked at her.
“Do you believe her?”
“About the financial pressure?”
“Yes.”
“Probably.”
“About the signature?”
Margaret took her time.
“No.”
Emily sat in her father’s desk chair.
It creaked beneath her.
She remembered him complaining about that sound every summer and refusing to oil it because, he said, a chair should announce when someone was wasting time.
“What do I do?”
Margaret leaned against the desk.
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing permanent.”
Emily looked up.
“That’s your legal advice?”
“It is my human advice.”
Emily rubbed her palm.
Margaret noticed.
“You apologized.”
“For hitting him.”
“Yes.”
“I still did it.”
“Yes.”
Emily waited for comfort that did not come.
Unexpectedly, she appreciated that.
Margaret looked toward the doorway.
“Robert was very worried about you and Caroline after he died.”
Emily gave a dry laugh.
“That worked out.”
“He said grief would make both of you competitive.”
“About what?”
“Who loved him correctly.”
Emily looked down.
That sounded like her father.
Not poetic enough to be invented after death.
Margaret added, “He was also worried Caroline had become too involved in their finances.”
Emily raised her head.
“How involved?”
“He asked me six weeks ago how difficult it would be to replace an agent under a financial power of attorney.”
“Caroline was their agent?”
“Limited authority. Mostly for practical matters.”
“Did he replace her?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“He postponed the meeting.”
May you like
“Why?”
“He had a cardiology appointment. Then he went to Denver with your mother. Then he canceled because he said Caroline was having a hard week.”
