“I knew she sent money.”
“For my roof?” I asked.
He did not answer.
Rebecca looked at him with a warning so naked that even June leaned forward.
Andrew swallowed.
“There were credit cards. A personal loan. We used some of it to pay those.”
Lillian sat down.
It was not a graceful movement. The chair caught her behind the knees.
“How much?”
“I don’t know all of it.”
Rebecca’s voice sharpened.
“You spent it too.”
“Yes,” he said.
The word seemed to surprise her.
“Yes. I did.”
He picked up his phone, unlocked it, and set it in front of me. On the screen was a message from Rebecca.
Practice it from the birthday card. She won’t sign until she thinks there’s no other choice.
Below it was his reply.
I can do it tonight.
I read it once. Then again.
The worst part was the ordinary time stamp. Tuesday evening. I remembered that evening. I had made chicken soup because Andrew said his throat hurt.
“I brought you dinner upstairs,” I said.
He covered his mouth.
Rebecca reached for the phone.
Andrew moved it away.
“No more.”
“You think showing her that saves you?”
“No.”
For the first time that day, his voice did not ask me for anything.
Lillian removed her house key from Rebecca’s ring, which lay beside the laptop. Her fingers struggled with the little metal coil.
