Chapter 8 - Sunday Dinner)
By six-thirty Sunday evening, everyone was pretending.
That was the strangest part.
Diane roasted chicken.
Ava opened wine.
Amelia set the table.
Walter sat at the head as if he had not spent the previous night standing in the rain outside a barn listening to his family discuss taking control of his life.
Daniel Price was not invited.
Diane mentioned him twice anyway.
At 6:48, Ava walked into the dining room carrying the SUV keys.
Amelia watched her.
Ava smiled.
Something about the smile irritated her more than usual.
Maybe because Amelia now knew what existed beneath it.
Fear.
Greed.
And the assumption that Amelia would never understand what was happening until it was too late.
Ava twirled the keys around her finger.
"You know, I might just keep this thing."
Amelia said nothing.
Diane served Walter.
"Your grandfather barely drives anymore. No reason for good cars to sit around."
Walter cut into his chicken.
Still nothing.
Ava looked at Amelia.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're doing that victim face."
"What face?"
"The one where you act like the whole family ruined your life."
Diane sighed.
"Ava."
"What? She thinks it."
Amelia took a drink of water.
Ava tossed the SUV keys onto Amelia's plate.
They landed beside the potatoes.
"Uber suits you better, you broke-ass princess."
Diane smiled and slid the keys back toward Ava.
"Stop whining, Amelia. Your sister actually has a life of her own."
That was when Walter slammed his cane into the floor.
The sound exploded through the room.
"Then why is my SUV hers?"
Ava froze.
Diane's hand stopped.
Amelia lowered her eyes so no one would see how rapidly her pulse had increased.
Ava recovered first.
"Because she doesn't deserve that car."
Walter reached into his cardigan.
"Interesting."
He removed his phone.
"I've tracked every damn mile of it."
Ava's face changed.
Diane whispered, "Walter."
He opened the map.
"So tell me why my car was here at 2:13 A.M."
Diane lunged.
Her chair crashed backward.
"TURN THAT OFF!"
Walter moved the phone beyond her reach.
Ava stood.
"Mom!"
Diane snapped, "Sit down."
But panic had already taken control.
Ava pointed at Walter.
"You said Grandpa would never find out what we did there!"
The silence afterward was enormous.
Walter slowly lowered the phone.
"What did you two do?"
Ava looked at Diane.
Diane looked at Amelia.
That was the mistake.
Because Amelia saw it.
Not just fear.
Recognition.
Diane knew Amelia knew.
"Nothing," Diane said.
Walter leaned back.
"Nothing at Halcyon?"
Ava flinched.
"Nothing at Westbridge?"
Diane's face drained.
"Nothing at Thomas's farmhouse?"
Ava whispered, "How do you know about the farmhouse?"
Diane turned on her.
"Stop talking."
Walter placed the phone on the table.
"Daniel's filing the incapacity petition tomorrow, isn't he?"
Diane stared.
Then her expression changed.
The mask disappeared.
For the first time Amelia could remember, her mother stopped pretending to be offended.
She became cold.
Completely cold.
"You shouldn't have been driving last month."
Walter frowned.
"What?"
"You nearly hit the stone gate."
"I misjudged the turn."
"You forgot appointments."
"No."
"You confused Amelia with Grace."
"After you gave me medication that wasn't prescribed by my doctor."
Ava looked at Diane.
"What medication?"
Diane did not answer.
Interesting.
Amelia realized Ava had not known everything.
Walter continued.
"Dr. Collins documented the bottle."
Diane's face changed.
"And Margaret Sloan has the forged trust amendment."
Ava stared.
"Forged?"
Diane snapped, "Quiet."
Walter's voice remained steady.
"Rebecca Vale was at the barn."
Diane's breathing stopped for a moment.
Amelia said, "We were there too."
Ava looked at her.
"What?"
"We heard everything."
Diane sat slowly.
Then she smiled.
It was not her usual smile.
This one held exhaustion.
"Fine."
Walter stared at her.
"Fine?"
"You want the truth?"
"Yes."
"You've controlled this family for forty years."
Walter's eyes narrowed.
"You confuse money with love. You decide who deserves help. You decide who gets shares. You decided Amelia should have authority over Ava because Amelia plays the wounded good daughter better."
Amelia said, "You forged my identity."
Diane looked at her.
"You'll survive."
"You created debt in my name."
"You were supposed to stay in Washington."
Amelia stared.
There it was.
The truth spoken casually.
"You sabotaged my credit so I couldn't rebuild."
Diane lifted her glass.
"I needed leverage."
Walter's voice hardened.
"For what?"
Diane turned toward him.
"For a family arrangement that should have existed years ago."
"You mean theft."
"I mean correction."
Ava whispered, "Mom, maybe we shouldn't keep talking."
Diane ignored her.
Walter asked, "What is at Thomas's farmhouse?"
Diane said nothing.
"What's in the barn?"
"Old papers."
"Thomas's papers."
"Some."
"What was in the photograph you took?"
Diane's jaw tightened.
Amelia leaned forward.
"What did Dad write on the back?"
Her mother looked at her.
For one second, something like guilt appeared.
Then disappeared.
Walter stood.
"Give me your purse."
Diane laughed.
"No."
"Give me the photograph."
"No."
Ava stared between them.
"What photograph?"
Walter walked toward Diane.
She grabbed her purse.
Amelia stood.
Diane backed away.
"Don't."
Walter stopped.
"Thomas was my son."
"And he was my husband."
"You've been hiding his records for eight years."
Diane's eyes became wet.
Not with sadness.
With fury.
"You want to know what Thomas was doing?"
Walter said nothing.
Diane's voice shook.
"He was leaving."
Amelia felt the room tilt.
"What?"
Her mother looked directly at her.
"Your father was leaving me."
Ava stared.
"No."
"He had a lawyer. Accounts. A house nobody knew about. He was moving money."
Walter whispered, "Thomas was investigating missing money."
Diane laughed.
"That's what he told you."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying your perfect son had secrets too."
She stepped backward.
"And the proof is still in that barn."
Then the doorbell rang.
Nobody moved.
It rang again.
Walter looked at Amelia.
She walked into the foyer.
Through the glass beside the door, she saw Daniel Price.
He was holding a leather briefcase.
And behind him stood two uniformed sheriff's deputies.
Amelia opened the door halfway.
Daniel gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Amelia."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry to arrive during dinner."
Walter appeared behind her.
Daniel's expression softened professionally.
"Walter, I was hoping to avoid this."
One deputy removed a document from a folder.
Daniel continued.
"A temporary emergency petition was filed early."
Walter's face became still.
"The court granted a seventy-two-hour protective evaluation."
Amelia stared.
"Tonight?"
Daniel nodded.
"I'm afraid your grandfather is required to come with them."
May you like
Behind Amelia, Diane said quietly:
"I told you Monday belonged to us."
