The criminal referral involving Finanella moved much more slowly, exactly as Barnaby had predicted. As I tell this story, the district attorney’s office is still building its case; Barnaby believes several years may pass before it reaches court, assuming prosecutors ultimately approve charges.

The civil matters, though, are resolved. Rather than keep fighting through a fraud investigation that would draw more public attention to his mother and sister, Grantham accepted a settlement requiring full restitution of the diverted household funds, to be returned in scheduled installments.

Willamina’s catering business closed within the first year after our separation. Without continued access to money that had never belonged to her, the company could no longer preserve the appearance of prosperity.

Later, several longtime customers told mutual acquaintances they had suspected irregular billing for years. None of them had wanted to be the first to say so publicly.

Finanella withdrew from contact with me almost entirely. I don’t believe remorse caused her distance. I believe she finally recognized that staying near me raised the odds that more of her decisions would be examined.

News moved quietly through the extended family, as family news usually does. My father’s older brother, a retired judge who had always stayed courteous but distant around the Thorns, called after hearing about the attempted property transfer.