The Final Appraisal at the Lake House Before the Family Reckoning

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At three o’clock, a black sedan came up the driveway.

Mr. Howard Ellis stepped out wearing his usual gray suit and carrying a leather folder.

He was seventy-two, narrow as a broom handle, and had known me since my hair was brown.

He had drafted my first will, my second will, the trust amendments, the sale documents, and finally the papers that turned continue reading …