Page 97 of This Time Around
Neither of them said anything for a moment. Allie studied her mom’s face, noticing for the first time that they had identical lines at the corners of their eyes. She’d never seen them before on her mother, and Allie guessed her mom used to keep them hidden with Botox. Not much of an option in prison.
Allie shot another glance at the guard, who was moving in to separate the couple now that the woman was practically sitting on the man’s lap. “Break it up, you two,” he said.
Allie looked back at her mother. This was her chance.
“Mom.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “You looked more closely than Daddy did at Grandma’s financials, right?”
Priscilla frowned. “Did my attorney tell you to ask about this?”
“What?” Allie blinked. “No. I mean—that’s not why I’m asking”
“Why are you asking?”
“Grandma’s will—your attorney was the one who prepared that, right?”
“What are you driving at, Allison?”
Allie swallowed hard. “I found something in grandma’s attic. And I’m wondering if she ever mentioned it to you.”
The flicker in Priscilla’s eyes was unmistakable. She knew something, Allie was sure of it.
When Allie’s mother spoke again, her voice was almost a whisper. “So you found it.”
“Yes.” Allie hesitated. “I’m not talking about sex toys, either. Or love notes. Or collectible bongs or semen-stained Versace gowns or?—”
“What on earth are you babbling on about?” Priscilla stage-whispered.
“I just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page here,” Allie said. “That we’re talking about the same thing.”
She stared into her mother’s eyes, so deep and green and so much like the ones that stared back at her every time she looked in the mirror. Her mother stared back, seeming not to blink at all.
“So you found the money,” Priscilla said flatly.
Allie wasn’t sure she’d heard right at first. Her mom’s voice was so low, and the declaration so unexpected after this many false alarms with everyone stashing things in the attic. Allie just stared, at a loss for words.
“I’m not surprised you guessed the combination,” Priscilla said slowly. “You always were a smart one. Or did you pry it open with a crowbar?”
Was that a backhanded compliment or a test of some sort? Allie gave a tight nod. “I figured out the combination.”
“Good. So now you know.”
“Know what?” Allie leaned forward, her hands shaking a little. “I have no idea where it came from or who it belongs to or?—”
“It belongs to you, Allison,” she said. “The fact that your grandmother used your birthdate as the combination should have made that obvious.”
Ice sluiced through Allie’s veins. She couldn’t breathe for a moment. Couldn’t even think of what to say next.
Which was fine, since Priscilla was still talking. “As for where it came from, that’s inconsequential. The fact of the matter is that it’s your inheritance. The will was very clear about that. The contents of the home, the home itself—it’s all yours.”
“But—but—” Allie shook her head, not sure where to start. “That kind of cash doesn’t just magically appear. Where did it come from?”
“Are you questioning your grandmother’s honesty, Allison?”
“Of course not,” Allie said, then bit her lip. She left the rest of the words unspoken.
I’m questioning your honesty, Mother.
“Your grandmother was always very smart with money,” Priscilla continued. “Remember when she bought up all of those properties in West Linn during the recession? She made a fortune on those deals.”
