I sank back on my heels.
“That won’t work,” I said, though I wasn’t sure.
“Maybe not. But it could delay things. Freeze things. Pressure you.”
I thought of Lucas in first class, perhaps sipping wine, perhaps texting me some tender message from thirty thousand feet.
I thought of him taking that folder from the safe with hands that had once held mine in hospital waiting rooms and hotel balconies and quiet kitchens.
strange grief rose in me then, different from rage.
It was not grief for losing him.
It was grief for realizing I had not known the person who lived beside me.
“Anne?” Grace said.
“I’m here.”
“You need a lawyer before you touch the money.”
I laughed under my breath. “That sounds suspiciously sensible for a stranger who just admitted to watching my house.”
“I know how this sounds.”
“No, I’m not sure you do.”
