“I won’t lie for you,” she said.
Evelyn’s face twisted. “I am your mother.”
“That is why this hurts.”
The detective guided her toward the foyer.
At the threshold, Evelyn turned back. The Christmas tree lights reflected in her wet eyes.
“Brooke,” she said. “I did everything for you.”
Brooke’s mouth trembled. “You did everything to make sure I needed you.”
Evelyn stopped.
It was the first time anyone had named the shape of her love.
Then she stepped outside.
The door closed behind her.
No one spoke.
The house seemed to hold the sound of the latch for a long time.
Daniel remained beside the table, his hands open at his sides.
Brooke did not look at him.
Mr. Avery gathered the statements and slipped them into the folder. “The bank has frozen the account. The attempted transfer is void. The district attorney will review the forgery and fraud charges.”
“Will she go to prison?” Brooke asked.
“That decision belongs to the court.”
Clara looked toward the dark window. “She will lose the house she bought in Arizona.”
Brooke turned. “What?”
“She used the money from your grandmother’s account to buy it.”
A new silence formed.
Mr. Avery nodded. “The property is under investigation. Your mother’s assets will likely be seized to repay the estate.”
Brooke sat down.
Her hands began to shake.
Clara moved toward her, but stopped several feet away. She had learned not to crowd grief. Grief needed air.
Brooke looked at the letter again. “I spent my whole life thinking she was protecting me.”
“She believed that,” Clara said.
“She made me hate you.”
“She made you afraid of losing her.”
“I let her.”
“You were a child when it began.”
“I was thirty when I stopped speaking to you.”
“You were thirty when she gave you a story you had been trained to believe.”
Brooke pressed both hands against her eyes.
Daniel came around the table. “Brooke, I’m sorry.”
She removed her hands. “For which part?”
He stopped.
“For helping her? For staying silent tonight? For letting me insult Clara because it was easier than admitting we were living on borrowed mercy?”
“I thought the house would be ours.”
