Chapter 4

The next afternoon, I showed up at my parents' place ahead of time.

Linda was already bustling around in the kitchen.

She flashed a smile as soon as I stepped through the door. "Sophie! Come help me rinse the vegetables."

I set down my things and walked into the kitchen. "Linda, do you need the car again tomorrow?"

She didn't even look up. "Yeah, why?"

"Make sure you fill the tank this time." My tone stayed calm and even.

Linda froze mid-movement. "Fill it up? I always do that, don't I?"

"Really?" I pulled out my phone and pulled up the photos I'd taken every time she returned the car. "Take a look. When did you ever fill it up?"

One photo after another flashed across the screen. Every single one showed the gas gauge on the last bar.

Linda's face flickered with unease. "Uh... maybe the gauge is just acting up or something."

"The gauge works perfectly fine." I laid out the dealership service records next. "Look at this. The car's driven 4113 miles in the past six months."

"But I've only put 2485 miles on it myself."

"The remaining 1,616 miles? You put those on it, didn't you?"

Linda set down the vegetables she was holding. "Sophie, what are you getting at?"

"Nothing much." I leaned against the doorframe. "I just want to settle the bill. 1616 miles, at about 8 liters per 60 miles. That's roughly 208 liters of gas. At today's prices, that comes to about 530 dollars. So, Linda, about that money—"

Linda's expression darkened. "Sophie, we're family. I borrow your car every now and then, and you're haggling with me over this? How can you be so petty?"

I let out a dry laugh. "Family means you get to skip paying for gas?

"And what about the 150 dollars' worth James put in my tank? Are you going to pay that back, too?"

Linda blinked in confusion. "What 150 dollars?"

"On the 15th of last month, James filled up my car at Pinehurst Energy with 150 dollars' worth of gas." I held up the station receipt. "This is proof.

"But the next day, you brought it back with an empty tank. Where did all 64.5 liters of gas go?"

Linda's eyes darted around nervously. "I-I have no idea. Maybe... maybe the gauge is off."

"Is it?" I pulled up another screenshot on my phone. "Then how do you explain this?"

It was the Lyft registration profile.

The license plate matched mine exactly. No doubt about it; that was my car.

But the registered owner was Linda Brooks.

All the color drained from Linda's face. "Y-You spied on me?"

"I didn't spy. Someone tipped me off." I put my phone away. "Linda, how much have you made driving for Lyft with my car these past three months?"

"I..." Linda opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Just then, the front door clicked open in the living room; James was home.

"What are you two talking about?" He walked in carrying a bag of fruit.

Linda's face shifted at once, twisting into a tearful expression. "James, Sophie's saying I have to pay her for gas every time I borrow her car, and she's accusing me of stealing her gas."

Her voice trembled with fake sobs. "I'm doing this for the family. I'm the one running my son around to all his activities. For her to be counting every penny like that? It really cuts deep."

James stared at me in shock. "Sophie, w-what did you say to her?"

I took a deep breath. "James, I'm just being reasonable with Linda.

"She's borrowed my car for six months and never filled the tank once.

"The 150 dollars' worth of gas you put in last month was gone the very next day.

"And I found out she's been using my car to drive for Lyft.

"Don't I deserve a straight answer about all this?"

James' face darkened with frustration. "Even so, you didn't have to call her out right to her face! We're family. Can't you save some dignity for her?"

Linda dabbed at her eyes with fake tears. "I knew it. She's never liked me, not since the day I married into this family; she's never been nice to me. And now, she won't even let me borrow her car anymore."

I stared at the two of them and suddenly found the whole thing ridiculous. "Fine. No more borrowing, then."

I turned and headed for the door. "My car? No one touches it from now on."

James called after me, "Sophie, can't you just cut Linda some slack? She has it hard enough!"

I stopped in my tracks without turning around. "I don't know if she has it hard or not.

"But I do know people who act entitled to taking what isn't theirs never have it that hard. And one more thing, James."

I spun back to face him. "If you care about your wife so much, buy her a car of her own. Stop leeching off of me."

With that, I grabbed my bag and left.

Linda's wails followed me out the door. "James, look at your sister. She's trying to drive me crazy."

I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath.

The opening blow had been struck. Now, all that was left was to sit back and wait for her to slip up and give herself away completely.