“Requiring an adult to account for money and documents isn’t destruction.”

“He has children.”

“So do you,” Linda replied. “You have a child too, Maggie. He’s simply old enough to be responsible for his decisions.”

It took two weeks to collect the records. During that time Daniel called every day. At first his tone was irritated — “Mom, you’re creating unnecessary drama.”

Then cautious — “Harold shouldn’t interfere in family business.” Eventually worried — “Please don’t sign anything without speaking to me.” I answered only once.

“I’ll speak when I understand what happened to my shares.”