Chapter 13: The Statement

"This is the statement for the account my mother left me," Faye said.

Her voice shook on "mother" and then steadied.

"It's called my mother's estate. My guardian is Dennis A. Sandvik."

Nobody in the living room moved.

"On the day it opened, the balance was three hundred and twelve thousand dollars."

A cousin on the stairs said, "Wow," under his breath, and his wife hushed him.

"Today the balance is eleven thousand, four hundred and two dollars and seventeen cents."

She stopped and let them hear it.

My father laughed.

It was a warm, easy laugh, the one he used on clients who were scared of their own numbers.

"Faye, honey, I think you've misread something. Those are family funds. Everything on there went to you."

"A hundred and ninety thousand dollars went to Midwest Table Group," Faye said. "I looked it up. It's a restaurant company. It closed last summer."

"An investment. Investments lose money."

"Did you ask me before you made it?"

"You were sixteen."

"I'm eighteen now," said Faye. "Today."

A low sound ran around the room.

My father's boss set his plate of crackers down on the bookshelf.

"Dennis," my mother said, and her voice came out thin. "Tell them it's a mistake."

"It's a misunderstanding," my father said. "I'll walk everyone through it after cake. Gwen, would you cut the cake?"

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