“I had my assistant draw up a property transfer agreement during the noon recess.”

He opened the binder to show two white deeds printed on heavy legal paper.

“I’m signing over full title to the east lot and the lakefront cottage directly to Toby,” Charles said, sliding a silver pen out of his breast pocket.

“It’s worth seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, tax-free.

We can put it in an irrevocable trust run by an independent corporate trustee.”

I rested my thumb lightly on the inside of my wrist, taking my pulse as I looked at the legal documents in his hands.