Pam recovered quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what you think you saw on my face.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had not accused her aloud.<\/p>\n
That was the mistake.<\/p>\n
Dale closed his eyes for half a second.<\/p>\n
Alan noticed too.<\/p>\n
Marilyn looked from Pam to me.<\/p>\n
The basement seemed smaller with each new truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know about the red ledger,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Pam shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just answered a question I didn\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m answering the accusation written all over your face.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale stepped between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich part?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe interrogation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody is making you stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re standing in property I\u2019m responsible for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marilyn cleared her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, Mr. Harper, the estate-sale contract gives us control of the work areas while we\u2019re staging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She tapped her clipboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked us to begin today.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression became dangerous in a quiet way.<\/p>\n
Marilyn did not flinch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying you can\u2019t be here. I\u2019m saying nobody needs to pretend this basement is a private office.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time that afternoon, I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Dale saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
He climbed the stairs.<\/p>\n
Pam followed immediately.<\/p>\n
I caught her wrist lightly before she passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cChristmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled free.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan said he saw the red ledger last Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you hosted Christmas dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
She blinked.<\/p>\n
That fact had not seemed important until I said it aloud.<\/p>\n
Grandpa\u2019s health had already begun declining. Pam had insisted everyone gather at her house because it was easier than making Grandpa manage guests.<\/p>\n
We had gone.<\/p>\n
I worked the morning shift and arrived late.<\/p>\n
Grandpa had already been tired.<\/p>\n
He left before dessert.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Grandpa bring the ledger with him?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said you didn\u2019t know there was one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how would you know whether he brought it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I don\u2019t remember seeing any ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale shouted from upstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cPam.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stepped around me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re avoiding it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned.<\/p>\n
For one moment, the polished defensiveness fell away.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no idea what Dale has done for this family.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was emotion in her voice.<\/p>\n
Real emotion.<\/p>\n
That startled me more than anger would have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that have to do with Grandpa\u2019s records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you can\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it won\u2019t change anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt already has.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pam stared at me.<\/p>\n
Then she went upstairs without another word.<\/p>\n
Alan sank into Grandpa\u2019s fishing chair.<\/p>\n
The five-dollar sticker remained on one arm.<\/p>\n
He peeled it off slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNance.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you hate me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what I feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing about this is fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the sticker between his fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I\u2019d paid it back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Dale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wanted the shame gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer sounded true.<\/p>\n
I hated it anyway.<\/p>\n
I sat on the edge of Grandpa\u2019s workbench.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me about the red ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw Grandpa writing in it at Pam\u2019s house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the den.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was he writing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you saw the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did. Red cover. Same size as the blue one.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cDale came in and asked Grandpa what he was doing. Grandpa shut it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey argued.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t hear everything. People were in the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry.\u201d<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa said something like, \u2018She gets it after I\u2019m gone.\u2019 Dale said, \u2018You\u2019re going to tear everyone apart.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt a chill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa didn\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you thought me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause after Dale left, Grandpa asked whether you were coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the basement floor.<\/p>\n
That Christmas.<\/p>\n
I had arrived an hour later.<\/p>\n
Grandpa hugged me.<\/p>\n
He had seemed unusually relieved.<\/p>\n
I remembered now.<\/p>\n
He kept asking whether we could talk after dinner.<\/p>\n
Then Pam said he looked tired.<\/p>\n
Dale drove him home.<\/p>\n
I had offered.<\/p>\n
Dale said Grandpa didn\u2019t need the trouble of climbing into my old car because his SUV sat higher.<\/p>\n
A stupid detail.<\/p>\n
A stupid, ordinary explanation.<\/p>\n
I had let them leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to the ledger?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever see it again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
A movement at the top of the stairs caught my attention.<\/p>\n
One of Marilyn\u2019s workers.<\/p>\n
He looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry. I need the table saw tagged.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Grandpa\u2019s workbench.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you give us five minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n
He retreated.<\/p>\n
Marilyn stayed.<\/p>\n
I turned to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember a red book being removed this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n
She thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a red binder.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow big?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree-ring. Too large to be what you\u2019re describing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything else?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDale carried out a banker\u2019s box before my crew came in. I saw folders and loose paper. I didn\u2019t see every item.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did he take it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo his vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Alan.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know what he drives?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA gray Tahoe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered it parked behind the house after the funeral.<\/p>\n
Not today.<\/p>\n
Today Dale had come with Pam.<\/p>\n
Two cars?<\/p>\n
No.<\/p>\n
I pictured the driveway when I arrived that morning.<\/p>\n
Pam\u2019s white crossover.<\/p>\n
Dale\u2019s Tahoe had been there.<\/p>\n
When I returned after the bank, only the estate-sale van and Pam\u2019s crossover were in the driveway.<\/p>\n
\u201cDale left sometime after I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably took the papers home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I removed my phone.<\/p>\n
Dale had texted repeatedly while I was at the bank.<\/p>\n
I scrolled.<\/p>\n
One message stood out now.<\/p>\n
Need to pick up Dad\u2019s records before sale company arrives.<\/p>\n
Dad.<\/p>\n
Dale\u2019s father was Grandpa\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
My uncle Robert.<\/p>\n
Dead twelve years.<\/p>\n
Why would Grandpa have Robert\u2019s records separated from estate papers?<\/p>\n
I showed Alan.<\/p>\n
He frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Robert\u2019s records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what he wrote.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert had a safe-deposit box.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa and Robert shared one years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame bank Grandpa used.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mind went back to Mrs. Whitaker\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
The man who had come asking about two-name bonds.<\/p>\n
Henry Harper\u2019s name had come up.<\/p>\n
Perhaps Dale had not gone there only for the bonds.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Robert have anything to do with my money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer is getting expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
My patience snapped.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He flinched.<\/p>\n
I softened my voice, barely.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you know things, tell me all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Robert died, Dale handled his paperwork too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa accused him of throwing away records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat records?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI really don\u2019t. Grandpa said Robert kept notes on family money. Dale said they were outdated.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the blue ledger.<\/p>\n
Family money.<\/p>\n
Safety account.<\/p>\n
Bonds.<\/p>\n
A down-payment check.<\/p>\n
Records.<\/p>\n
This had stopped being about one envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Grandpa trust Dale?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan hesitated too long.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa trusted him to get things done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd not to make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marilyn cleared her throat again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to tell you something.\u201d<\/p>\n
We both turned.<\/p>\n
She tucked a strand of gray hair behind her ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know whether it matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt this point, assume it does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came for the initial walk-through three weeks ago, your grandfather\u2019s desk upstairs was still full.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree weeks ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa had been dead three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I was here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was in the desk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaperwork. Pens. Check registers. A couple of notebooks.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat color?\u201d<\/p>\n
She thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne might have been burgundy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cRed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marilyn shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we came back today, the desk had been emptied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho had access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily, I assume.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale\u2019s voice came from the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarilyn!\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she left, I touched her arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould your initial inventory mention the notebooks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still have it?\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted the clipboard.<\/p>\n
\u201cDigital copy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale called again.<\/p>\n
Marilyn went upstairs.<\/p>\n
I looked at Alan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need that inventory.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the bank records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Grandpa\u2019s attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t talked to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDale said he was handling it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSamuel Creighton.\u201d<\/p>\n
I knew the name.<\/p>\n
Grandpa used to complain that Mr. Creighton charged money every time he moved a comma.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have his number?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan pulled out his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened Grandpa\u2019s ledger again while he searched.<\/p>\n
Near the back, several pages had been cut out.<\/p>\n
Not torn.<\/p>\n
Cut.<\/p>\n
A blade had left neat edges close to the binding.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He came beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWere these missing before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I counted.<\/p>\n
Four pages.<\/p>\n
Maybe six.<\/p>\n
Someone had removed them carefully.<\/p>\n
I angled the next page toward the light.<\/p>\n
Writing pressure had left faint indentations from whatever had once been written on the missing sheet.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you read that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alan squinted.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I photographed it.<\/p>\n
Maybe Mrs. Whitaker could help.<\/p>\n
Maybe the attorney could.<\/p>\n
Maybe anyone other than my family could look at Grandpa\u2019s records without deciding what I was allowed to know.<\/p>\n
Alan found the number.<\/p>\n
He called.<\/p>\n
It went to voicemail.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave one.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Alan Harper. I\u2019m with Nancy Ellis at Grandpa Henry\u2019s house. We found records that may concern the estate and Nancy directly. We need to speak with you before anything else is removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He ended the call.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Pam.<\/p>\n
This time, a text.<\/p>\n
You need to stop. You\u2019re humiliating Alan over money he repaid years ago.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
Then typed back.<\/p>\n
Where is the red ledger?<\/p>\n
Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n
Disappeared.<\/p>\n
Appeared again.<\/p>\n
Finally:<\/p>\n
There is no red ledger.<\/p>\n
I showed Alan.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I enlarged the message.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said there is no red ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty minutes ago she said she didn\u2019t know about one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Understanding spread across his face.<\/p>\n
She had shifted from ignorance to certainty.<\/p>\n
I typed another message.<\/p>\n
Did Grandpa bring it to your house last Christmas?<\/p>\n
This time no dots appeared.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
A car engine started outside.<\/p>\n
I ran upstairs.<\/p>\n
Through the kitchen window, I saw Pam backing out of the driveway.<\/p>\n
Dale was in the passenger seat.<\/p>\n
His head was down.<\/p>\n
Looking at something on his lap.<\/p>\n
Red.<\/p>\n
Only a glimpse.<\/p>\n
A dark red rectangle.<\/p>\n
I grabbed my keys.<\/p>\n
Alan caught my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see where they take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNancy, don\u2019t chase them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not chasing anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I answered while watching Pam\u2019s car disappear at the end of the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
A man\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNancy Ellis? This is Samuel Creighton. I just got your brother\u2019s message.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped moving.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a pause.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cI\u2019m glad one of you finally called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence chilled me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019ve been trying to reach you for nearly a month.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Alan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour grandfather left specific instructions that certain estate documents were not to be handled by Dale Harper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pam recovered quickly. \u201cI don\u2019t know what you think you saw on my face.\u201d I had not accused her aloud. That was the mistake. Dale closed his eyes for half … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21657"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21701,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21657\/revisions\/21701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}