Chapter 20: I QUIT!

At ten o'clock exactly, the woman in the camel coat walked into the boardroom and said, "I'm Cordelia."

Ambrose, at the head of the table, smiled.

"Welcome home, my dear," he said. "Sit."

She sat in the ninth chair, with her duffel on her lap.

Sabine Thorsby was at the foot, with her man in gray and his loupe.

The board sat along both sides, and two chairs were empty.

On a cart behind Ambrose stood the silver dome.

"As chair, I'll proceed," said Ambrose. "We have a transfer, a closing, and a quorum."

The doors opened.

My sister and I came in together, in white shirts and black trousers from Nana's closet.

Nana had owned two of everything since 1971.

Nana came in behind us.

Her cardigan was buttoned wrong, and a deck of cards stuck out of her pocket.

Tiernan stayed at the door.

Nobody said anything.

There were now three women in the room with one face, and one of them was holding a duffel.

"Which of you," said Ambrose slowly, "is Cordelia?"

"I am," said my sister and I, together.

I had started it.

I felt it leave my mouth a half second before hers, and her voice came in behind mine.

The woman with the duffel stood up.

"I'm supposed to say I'm Cordelia," she said. "I'm also supposed to say I got four thousand dollars, in cash, for a photograph at an airport."

She took a folded paper out of the coat.

"This is the receipt. It's signed A. Harcastle."

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