Chapter 6 - The Unraveling
Arthur opened the door, his face a ghostly shade of grey. When he saw me—tanned, fit, and wearing the uniform that made him look like a common criminal—he didn't even try to lie. He just backed away, letting me into the foyer.
"You're home early," he stammered, his voice cracking.
"I'm right on time," I replied.
Emily appeared from the kitchen, still wearing a souvenir hoodie from Maui. She looked at me, then at her father, sensing the suffocating tension. "What’s going on, Dad? You’ve been pacing for days."
Arthur tried to wave her away, but it was too late. I pulled a thick envelope from my bag and dropped it onto the glass coffee table. The sound was sharp, final.
"Arthur tried to sell the cabin to pay for that trip," I said, my voice eerily calm. "He used a forged deed. He also embezzled from the estate fund, laundered money through a shell company, and lied to both of us for three years."
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Emily’s eyes widened. "That’s... that’s not possible. Dad, tell him he's crazy."
Arthur didn't say a word. He just stared at the envelope. He knew exactly what was inside: the evidence that he was not just a spendthrift, but a felon. The "broker" he had relied on had flipped, and with him went Arthur’s last line of defense. The illusion of his competence had evaporated.
