Chapter 16 - The Second Meaning
Paige's guarantee changed everything I thought I understood about my father's plan.
Gene had not merely chosen Paige as the favored child.
He had used her expectation of favoritism to put her financial future at risk.
Mara could not represent both of us where our interests might conflict, so she gave Paige information on finding independent counsel.
For the first time in years, my sister listened without accusing me of cruelty.
Her lawyer requested the relevant business documents.
Some showed Paige had signed a personal guarantee for obligations she had never discussed with me.
Others included representations about the property that she had accepted without verifying.
She was not innocent of choosing to take my room or believing she deserved my house.
But she had also allowed people she trusted to sign her up for risks she didn't understand.
I thought of Grandpa's ledger and saw his warning in a different light.
It had never been only about protecting me from Gene's greed.
It was about how Gene made dependency look like love.
He gave gifts with one hand and collected obedience with the other.
Paige called me that evening.
"I told Brett I won't sign anything else."
"Good."
"He said I was turning into you."
I looked out at the dark yard.
"Maybe you should ask him why that's an insult."
She gave a small, broken laugh.
Then she went quiet.
"I knew about the sale, Quinn.
I knew they planned to sell after Dad got the deed.
I told myself you'd be fine because you had the Army."
It hurt to hear her say it so plainly.
"You didn't think about where I'd go."
"I didn't want to."
For once she wasn't asking me to make her feel better.
"I can't forgive that just because you're scared now," I said.
"I know."
The next day Detective Price asked for another meeting.
She had obtained information connecting different versions of the disputed power of attorney to the same preparation process.
A forensic document examiner would evaluate the originals if available.
And a search for associated records had uncovered a draft deed bearing Paige's name before anyone had told me she was moving in.
The scheme had begun months earlier than I'd believed.
Mara studied the date.
"This was prepared before your deployment," she said.
My throat tightened.
My family hadn't improvised after I left.
May you like
They had been waiting for me to go.
