Chapter 3

Vanessa rang my doorbell at one twenty-eight the following afternoon.

Leo stood beside her with a backpack over one shoulder. Vanessa held her car keys in one hand and kept checking the screen of her phone.

"Thank you for doing this," she said. "The appointment may take a while."

"That's fine."

Her eyes stayed on my face. "Ethan explained what happened yesterday, didn't he?"

"He said your car broke down."

"Right." She adjusted the strap of her purse. "He was only helping us."

I opened the door wider. "Leo can come in."

Vanessa crouched and kissed his cheek. "Be good. I'll see you later."

"Are we going to the house after?" Leo asked.

Vanessa's hand tightened around his shoulder.

"We'll talk about that later," she said. Then she stood and gave me a quick smile. "Pregnancy appointments. Nothing ever happens on time."

She left before Leo had taken off his shoes.

In the kitchen, I made him a grilled cheese sandwich and put a box of markers beside his plate. He chose a sheet of paper and began drawing while he ate.

"Do you have a darker blue?" he asked.

I found one in the bottom of the box.

"This is the color Dad said I can have in my new room." He drew a large blue square. "Mom says I have to wait until the papers are done, but Dad said we can start packing after today."

My phone showed a message from Mara.

Still waiting for the judge.

I placed the phone facedown.

"Do you know when you're moving?" I asked.

Leo shook his head. "Before the baby comes. Dad wants everything ready."

He added three people in front of the blue square, then drew a smaller figure beside Vanessa.

"That's the baby," he explained.

"What do you think the baby will be?"

"I want a brother, but Mom thinks it's a girl." He picked up a green marker. "Dad says he doesn't care."

I turned toward the sink and rinsed a clean plate, giving myself a few seconds before I faced him again.

At two thirty-one, the transfer status changed from scheduled to processing.

I called Mara.

"The judge has the request," she said. "I can't make her sign it faster."

"What happens if the money goes through?"

"We ask the court to recover it. Stopping it now will be much easier."

Leo looked up from his picture. I turned away from him and lowered my voice.

"Call me the moment you hear anything."

At two forty-six, Ethan sent a message.

The appointment is running late. Can you keep Leo until four?

I replied with one word.

Yes.

Leo finished his drawing and held it up for me. Four people stood in front of a house: Vanessa, Ethan, Leo, and the baby.

"Dad said we might get the keys today," he said. "Do you think they'll let me open the door?"

Before I could answer, Mara called.

It was two fifty-seven.

"The judge signed the order," she said. "I've sent it to the bank and the title company. I'm waiting for confirmation."

The transfer still showed processing.

At three o'clock, the screen refreshed.

WIRE BLOCKED.

My phone rang immediately.

Ethan's name appeared on the screen.

I answered.

"Claire." His voice was low and breathless. "What did you do?"