Chapter 5: The Showroom

Landry Motors had a glass showroom on Route 23 with twelve new trucks under spotlights.

At noon on Wednesday I walked in wearing my school cardigan and my lanyard.

I had forty-five minutes of lunch break and no money.

The salesman by the door took one look at me and stepped back.

Everyone in Columbus had seen that video.

"I'm here for Travis," I said.

"He's in a meeting, ma'am. If you'd like to wait..."

"I'll wait right here."

I stood in the middle of the floor, next to a white pickup with the price on its window.

There were maybe twenty people around me.

Couples with brochures. A man in a work jacket. A woman with a toddler on her hip.

Dolores came out of the back office in under a minute.

"Leah." Her smile was tight. "This is a place of business."

"Good. I'm here on business. Where's my money?"

"We can discuss this privately."

"We can discuss it here."

Travis appeared behind his mother with his sleeves rolled up and his best smile.

"Leah. Babe, come on. We said we'd talk."

"We said nothing. I'm giving you what you asked for. A conversation."

"The account was for our house."

"Which house?" I said. "The one you were going to buy with me?"

"It's money in escrow for the down payment. It's tied up."

"It was tied up at 4:12 on Saturday afternoon, when you took it out."

Somebody nearby coughed.

The woman with the toddler turned fully around to look.

Travis's smile hardened a little.

"The money was a family contribution," Dolores said smoothly.

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