The Final Appraisal at the Lake House Before the Family Reckoning

should have told us.”

“I tried.”

“No,” Mark said. “You hinted. That’s not the same.”

I looked at him.

“You didn’t want clarity. You wanted distance.”

His face turned red.

“That is not true.”

Mr. Ellis slid another set of papers forward.

“I have copies of correspondence.”

Diane stared at him.

“What correspondence?”

“Emails, voice-mail transcripts, and written continue reading …