“I know.”
“Why did you give it to her?”
Amber looked at him.
“Because she said the county was going to sell the house if she didn’t pay the taxes.”
“And you verified that?”
Amber hesitated.
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Oh my God.”
Ruth spoke quietly.
“Did she provide any documents?”
“Yes.”
“What kind?”
“A tax notice.”
“Did you call the county?”
“No.”
“Did you pay the county directly?”
Amber’s silence answered.
Ruth felt dread.
“You transferred the money to Loretta.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Two weeks ago.”
Marcus took out his phone.
“The card declined because you emptied checking.”
“I didn’t empty it.”
“How much is left?”
“Enough for regular bills.”
“Not enough for tonight.”
“No.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“I was going to replace it.”
“With what?”
“My year-end bonus.”
Marcus stared at her.
“That bonus is not thirty-eight thousand dollars.”
“No.”
“What were you going to do about the rest?”
Amber looked away.
Ruth watched Marcus’s face.
Anger.
