Chapter 11: The Knight Says No

Mom's head turned toward Dad, very slowly.

"Sadie's accounts?"

Dad didn't answer.

"The condo on Astor Street," Mom said. "You told me that came from your bonus."

"Diane. Not here."

"The Porsche. The boutique she never opened. The trip to Positano."

"Diane."

Mom snatched the binder out of Dennis's hands and started flipping.

Her lips moved as she read the numbers.

The glass door banged open.

Sadie swept in with a bottle of champagne and three flutes hooked on her fingers.

"Daddy! Did it go through? I've been waiting in the car forever..."

She saw me at the foot of the table.

She saw Mom with the binder.

She stopped.

"What's she doing here?"

"She's here to cast the vote," Mom said in a strange, flat voice. "And the auditors put the six million on your name, Sadie."

Sadie laughed.

Then she looked around the table and saw nobody else was laughing.

"That was mine. Daddy said it was mine. He said Grandpa left it to me."

Every head turned to Dad.

He stood up, straightening his tie.

"I said no such thing. Sadie asked and asked and asked. You know how she is. I couldn't say no to her."

"Daddy!"

"She forged half of those transfer requests herself," he said to Dennis. "Write that down."

Sadie's face crumpled.

For once it wasn't on cue.

"You told me to sign them," she whispered. "You told me it was a birthday present. Every year."

Every birthday.

The princess always got her wish.

Mom set the binder down on the table.

Then she came around to my end and knelt beside my chair.

In front of Dennis. In front of Mr. Pierce. In front of the mechanic in the back row.

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