The voice crackled through the speaker, low and cold. “Relax, Glenn. He signs tomorrow, and the program takes the girl by Friday.” Marilyn’s phone hovered over the monitor, its red light blinking. Laura’s parents stopped breathing. Brooke gripped my sleeve under the table, trembling. Then Dana laughed. “Once she is locked up in that place, nobody asks questions, and the college account is ours. The transfer papers are already in my purse.”

Glenn said something I could not catch, and Dana answered, “Laura left too much money for one spoiled kid anyway.” My chair scraped back. Laura’s mother covered her mouth with both hands. Brooke whispered, “There is more, Dad. Keep listening.” Outside the dining room wall, the garage door rattled open, and the sound of boots on the hallway floor grew louder with every step.