Chapter 2 - The Sixty-Second Interrogation
The tension in the living room was so thick you could choke on it. Several of Cara’s coworkers exchanged alarmed glances and began inching toward the hallway where the coats were hung. My mother noticed the retreat immediately; for her, a public loss of face was far worse than any legal crime.
""Everyone, please!"" Mom laughed shrilly, waving her hands in the air. ""Reed is still loopy from the heavy narcotics they gave him at the hospital! The doctors warned us he might be confused and combative. Let's just step into the dining room for punch while I help my son rest.""
""I haven't taken a painkiller since yesterday morning, Mom,"" I said loudly, lowering the paper back to my lap but keeping my fingers clamped around its edges. ""And my mind has never been clearer.""
I turned my wheelchair slightly toward Garrett. He looked like a ghost standing beneath the ceiling streamers. He was sweating through his linen shirt, his eyes darting frantically between me and the front door.
""Garrett,"" I called out. ""Grandma’s house sold in May for two hundred and forty thousand dollars in cash. Her liquid savings accounts held another sixty-eight thousand. That is over three hundred thousand dollars after taxes and burial costs. Where is the remaining two hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars?""
""Reed, bro, come on,"" Garrett stammered, pulling at his collar. ""The market was bad. There were liens on the house. Grandma had debts nobody knew about. Medical bills, property taxes... I had to handle all of it on my own while you sat on your hands!""
""Liens?"" Cara chimed in, pulling her phone from her cardigan pocket. She held up her screen, tapping the glass with a manicured nail. ""I spent yesterday afternoon pulling the public county land records, Garrett. Grandma paid off her mortgage in 1998. The property was completely unencumbered when the deed transferred. Zero liens. Zero unpaid municipal taxes. The title company wired two hundred and forty thousand dollars directly into the estate checking account at First Federal on May 18th.""
Garrett swallowed audibly. He looked to Mom for backup, but for the first time in our lives, Mom had no ready-made excuse. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
""You sent me an accounting spreadsheet on Friday night,"" I continued, speaking slowly so every guest could hear every syllable. ""You labeled it 'Final Estate Summary' and signed off as 'Garrett — Your Hero.' But you made a rookie mistake, little brother. You didn't realize that when you exported the file from your accounting software, you left the metadata and the vendor reference codes attached.""
Jenna, still sitting on the carpet by the coffee table, suddenly froze. She looked up at Garrett, her eyes widening. ""Garrett... what does that mean?""
""It means,"" I said, looking right at my twin sister, ""that thirty-two thousand dollars from Grandma's estate went directly to Royal Seas Cruise Lines on June 4th to book three penthouse suites for our family’s luxury voyage. It means eighteen thousand dollars was paid to a boutique marina in Fort Lauderdale for the down payment on a twenty-four-foot powerboat. And another ninety thousand dollars was transferred directly to an offshore crypto exchange under Garrett's personal LLC.""
Jenna gasped, dropping the television remote she had just pieced back together. ""You told me Grandma set aside a separate vacation fund for us in her will! You said that cruise was her final wish for the family!""
""Shut up, Jenna!"" Garrett snapped, losing his composure completely.
""No, you shut up!"" Jenna cried, scrambling to her feet, her voice cracking with betrayal. ""You told me Mom and Dad paid their share, and that you and I were using Grandma’s special gift! I defended you! I made that stupid post on Facebook because you swore Reed was only in the hospital trying to ruin the trip because he was jealous!""
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Thirty guests watched the family facade crumble into dust. Cara’s director, Mrs. Thornton, calmly set down her paper plate and walked over to Cara. She laid a gentle hand on Cara’s shoulder, leaned down, and whispered, ""We are leaving so you two can handle this, but tomorrow morning, our company’s senior corporate counsel is at your disposal. Don't let them take a single dime.""
One by one, the guests filed out in stunned silence. Within four minutes, the room was empty of outsiders. Only the balloons, the ruined cake, and five shattered family members remained.
