Chapter 7 — A Bigger Reason

The next morning I called my attorney.

Phoebe Vance had handled my affairs for years, and she was as sharp as anyone I have ever known, and she did not waste time on sympathy she could tell I was not yet able to receive.

She pulled up my property records on her office terminal while I stayed on the line, and I heard her go quiet, and then I heard her tone change.

“Clara,” she said.

“Someone submitted a formal inquiry to a private lender last week.