Chapter 4 - THE BUYER WALKED THROUGH WHILE THEY WERE AT A BABY SHOWER
The inspection happened on Saturday.
Diane believed I was attending Madison’s baby shower.
I wasn’t.
I helped arrange for the shower to be held at Diane’s cousin’s house.
Then I claimed a work emergency.
By eleven, the entire Dalton family was gone.
At eleven-fifteen, Laura arrived with the buyer.
Dr. Adrian Foster.
Quiet.
Divorced.
Moving from Denver.
He walked through the rooms carefully.
He liked the kitchen.
The backyard.
The home office.
Then he opened the guest-room door.
Pink decorations covered the wall.
A bassinet stood in the corner.
Boxes were stacked everywhere.
He looked at me.
“Tenants?”
“No.”
“Family guests who were never invited properly.”
He did not ask for details.
Good man.
The inspection found nothing serious.
Adrian offered twenty thousand dollars below asking in exchange for a fourteen-day close and no repair requests.
I accepted.
Laura turned toward me.
“You understand that after closing, possession has to be delivered according to the contract.”
“Yes.”
“Your husband will need formal notice.”
“Yes.”
“Your in-laws too.”
“Yes.”
“Do they know?”
“No.”
She looked at me carefully.
“Are you safe?”
That question almost broke me.
Not:
Are you sure?
Not:
What will people think?
Safe.
“Yes.”
Then I reconsidered.
“I don’t think Eric would physically hurt me.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
I swallowed.
“I don’t know.”
So we made a plan.
Important papers left first.
Then sentimental items.
Then work equipment.
Then clothes.
Every day I carried something to a secure storage unit on my lunch break.
Nobody noticed.
Why would they?
Diane was busy reorganizing my pantry.
Madison was focused on court.
Eric was focused on whatever financial crisis he still believed my house would solve.
Three days later, I overheard him speaking to Diane in the garage.
“She needs to sign before the baby comes.”
Diane answered:
“She will.”
“She’s been weird.”
“She’s always quiet when she’s angry.”
Then:
“Once the baby is here, she won’t throw everyone out.”
Exactly.
My kindness was the collateral.
My reluctance to hurt a new mother was their backup plan.
Then Eric said:
“And after the equity loan clears, your house problem disappears too.”
I froze behind the laundry-room door.
Diane whispered:
“Keep your voice down.”
Too late.
The loan was not only for Madison.
May you like
Diane was in trouble too.
And whatever “house problem” she had, my property was supposed to solve it.
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