Finn sometimes asked if the bank was still coming.

I showed him the latest receipt and then put the binder away.

I didn’t want his childhood built around account balances.

The forensic accountant wrapped up her preliminary report in January.

It tracked enough missing money to explain why we had fallen behind, though a few transactions were still in dispute.

Some of the money had gone to casino debts, some to the truck, and some to ordinary household spending that had been hidden behind false labels.

There was no single shocking discovery that explained it all.