I held up the manila folder. “Because if you’re looking for a bailout, you brought the wrong sibling to the door.”

The silence on the porch was so profound I could hear the wind tearing through the bare oaks.

“What are you talking about, Daniel?” Margaret asked, her voice cracking. She looked at Vanessa, then back at me.

“Tell her, Vanessa,” I said, stepping down the first stair. “Tell Mom why Rob’s assets are frozen. Tell her why the state dental board is reviewing his license for negligence.

Tell her about the two million dollars in leverage you took out against her house.”

Vanessa’s mouth opened and closed like a dying fish. “You — you can’t access those records. That’s illegal!”