Chapter 5
The amount was eighteen thousand dollars.
I stared at it until the numbers stopped looking real.
Lily’s education account had been set up after Anna died. I put money into it each month, even when work was lean. I had allowed Sarah to help organize our household bills, but I had never agreed to move money from that account.
I called the bank in the morning.
The representative confirmed that the transfer had been made online using my credentials. She could not tell me who had sat at the computer, but she could help me secure the account and request the access records.
I changed my passwords, turned on extra verification, and sent Naomi the statement.
When I told Mom, she covered her mouth.
“Maybe there’s an explanation,” she said.
“I’m going to ask.”
Naomi wanted me to wait until she had reviewed the documents. I agreed, though every hour felt long.
Lily had a spelling test that day. I drove her to school and listened as she practiced words in the car. She got stuck on “necessary,” then laughed at herself and tried again.
I kept both hands on the wheel. I wanted her morning to be about a spelling test.
After drop-off, Claire called.
“Sarah told me you’re accusing her of taking Lily’s money,” she said.
“She knows I found the transfer?”
“She said it was for the family trip.”
“The trip was booked last month. The transfer was six months ago.”
Claire went quiet. “She told me not to call you. I needed to know what was true.”
“I’m still finding out.”
“Ben heard her talking,” Claire said. “Please be careful with him. He thinks every new fact means someone will ask him to choose a side.”
“I won’t.”
By afternoon, Naomi had the bank statement and the travel records. She told me to ask Sarah, in writing, what the transfer was for.
I sent a short message.
I found an $18,000 transfer from Lily’s education account to our joint account six months ago. Did you make it? What was the money used for?
Sarah answered twenty minutes later.
We agreed to use it for household expenses. You told me to handle the finances.
I read the message twice. Then I checked our joint account for the days after the transfer.
Most of the money had moved again, this time to an account in Sarah’s name. I could see the destination but not how she had spent it.
I sent that statement to Naomi. She said she would request the full records as part of the separation.
Sarah called. I let it ring.
An hour later, she sent another message.
I was going to put it back.
That told me she knew I had never agreed.
I sat in my car outside the school, watching parents arrive for pickup. I felt angry enough to shout. Then Lily came out carrying a paper with a gold star on it.
“I got every word,” she said as she climbed in.
I smiled because she deserved my whole attention. “Even necessary?”
“Especially necessary.”
We went for ice cream. Lily chose strawberry and ate it so slowly it melted over her fingers.
On the drive home, she asked whether the vacation money was gone.
“What makes you ask?”
“Ben said Sarah was upset about money.”
I kept my voice steady. “The adults are working through money questions. You don’t have to solve them.”
“Did the trip cost too much because of me?”
“No. Sarah made a choice about the tickets. The cost was never your fault.”
Lily looked out the window. “I liked planning it.”
“We can plan a trip together when you’re ready.”
“I want Ben to come,” she said quietly.
I thought of Ben caught between our homes. “We can talk about it.”
That evening, I called him. Claire had invited him to stay over for the weekend, and Sarah had agreed. I asked how school was going. He told me about a science project and avoided mentioning his mother until the end.
“Did Mom really take Lily’s money?” he asked.
“I’m working with Naomi to find out exactly what happened.”
“She said you gave it to her.”
“I didn’t agree to move money from Lily’s account.”
Ben breathed into the phone for a few seconds.
“I saw her at your desk once,” he said. “She said the printer was broken, but she had your laptop open. I didn’t think anything of it.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
“She’s my mom.”
“I know.”
“I still love her.”
“You’re allowed to.”
He sounded close to tears. I stayed on the line until he was ready to hang up.
Two days later, Naomi received the first set of bank records. Sarah had used most of the money to pay off a loan I had never heard about. The loan was in her name, taken out before we married.
I went over the records with Naomi, trying to understand the dates.
Then she pointed to one payment.
May you like
It had been made the morning Sarah canceled Lily’s ticket.
For the first time, I wondered whether the flight had been part of a larger money problem Sarah had been hiding.
