“Apparently not.”
Despite everything, a strange laugh escaped me.
“They were trying to steal money they couldn’t even touch?”
“That’s what it appears.”
Mercer leaned back.
“Your parents also included a contingency clause.”
“What kind?”
“If they died under suspicious circumstances, any attempt by certain relatives to obtain guardianship would trigger an automatic legal review.”
I stared at him.
“So Mom and Dad expected this?”
“I think they feared something.”
My skin crawled.
“Did they think Howard would hurt them?”
Mercer didn’t answer immediately.
“Your father told me something during our final meeting.”
“What?”
“He said, ‘If Howard ever believes I’m standing between him and enough money, I don’t know what he’s capable of.'”
My stomach turned.
From across the room, Vicky looked up.
“Michael?”
I forced myself to smile.
“Yeah, bug?”
“Can we go home?”
Home.
The apartment I could barely afford.
The apartment where the heating rattled all night.
