Marcus answered on speaker without thinking, and Gloria’s voice filled the kitchen. “Marcus, the bank just called me. They said the loan was denied, so where is my sixty thousand dollars? Tessa’s lawyer needs it Monday.” Marcus’s face went gray. I set down my coffee slowly. “What loan?” I asked. He did not answer. The kitchen clock ticked, and I realized he had never expected me to hear.

Gloria kept talking, unaware. “You told me she would never check the mail. Just keep her busy with the trip, and the papers will go through.” Marcus lunged for the phone, but I had already stepped back with the speaker still on. Then the doorbell rang. Through the glass, I saw Diane Foster standing on my porch with a folder under her arm, and behind her, a man in a suit holding an envelope marked with the bank’s logo.