Before I could answer, someone called his name.
He walked away.
The following morning, my cousin Megan called me shortly after seven.
“Emily, did your letter say anything about my dad?”
“No. Why?”
She ignored the question.
“Everyone saw you keep another envelope.”
“I haven’t opened it.”
“Well, everyone wants to know what it says.”
She hung up.
By noon, the family group chat had gone almost completely silent.
Then Mom called.
Her voice was shaking.
“Emily, what exactly did Nancy write in those letters?”
“I don’t know. Nobody is showing anyone.”
“Oh God.”
“Mom, what’s going on?”
Silence.
Then she said something that made my heart pound.
“Whatever happens, be careful what you believe about me.”
The first real crack in the family story came from Aunt Susan.
I found her outside later that afternoon.
She looked around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear.
Then she said:
“Your mother didn’t take that money.”
