Sandra, the real estate appraiser Margaret had hired on behalf of Mitchell Family Holdings, sat in the back seat with a silver metal clipboard across her knees.

She had a tape measure clipped to her belt and a camera hanging from a strap around her neck.

Brandon was standing by the open garage door in his work shirt, holding a green garden hose that wasn’t running.

Margaret tapped her silver pen twice on her legal pad before shifting the car into park.

“We keep this strictly professional, Robert,” Margaret said, turning to face me.

“No old family fights, no side deals in the driveway.”