PART 15

Two weeks later, Brenda moved into a furnished rental arranged by Gavin.

Patricia, despite their years of estrangement, declined to involve herself in the argument over where her sister lived.

“We can be sisters,” she told me, “without pretending every boundary is an insult.” I thought about those words often.

The company’s review was less dramatic than the rumors Gavin had allowed to build around himself.

The accountant found unsupported personal expenses and payments that required reimbursement or reclassification, including the money spent on Patricia’s condominium.