My hands stopped moving.
“I can’t stand having her here,” Denise continued. “All she does is cry for my sister. I’m sick of it.”
My stomach tightened.
Then Howard answered.
“Just hold on a little longer, dear.”
His voice was calm.
Almost amused.
“Think about all the money we’ll get. Once it’s ours, we’ll never have to work another day.”
I stared at the bicycle tire.
My hands were trembling.
For a few seconds, I couldn’t even think.
Then I forced myself to finish repairing the bike.
I waited several minutes.
Then I knocked on the door as though I hadn’t heard anything.
Denise opened it with a smile.
I smiled back.
I said nothing.
Because I had learned something important.
Denise wasn’t simply trying to take care of Vicky.
She had a financial plan.
And I needed to understand exactly what was behind it.
That night, after Vicky went to bed, I called my legal-aid attorney.
I told her everything.
I explained what I had overheard.
I admitted I didn’t have a recording.
But she wasn’t concerned.
“You don’t necessarily need a recording,” she told me.
Then she reminded me that she already had access to Denise and Howard’s financial proposal and the documents governing Vicky’s trust.
That was when she pointed me toward the detail I hadn’t fully understood before.
The trust wasn’t simply a pile of money waiting for whoever became Vicky’s guardian.
It had rules.
Restrictions.
Conditions.
The money belonged to Vicky.
It could be used for her legitimate needs.
But it wasn’t a personal source of income for her guardians.
It couldn’t simply become household money.
It couldn’t be treated like a private bank account.
And that mattered.
A lot.
Because the hearing was the next morning.
A judge would decide where Vicky would live.
Denise arrived at court dressed perfectly.
Her hair was styled.
Her clothes were expensive.
Her expression was confident.
She walked toward me with a smile.
“Let’s settle this quickly,” she said.
“My daughter, Vicky, and I have a very busy day planned.”
I didn’t respond.
I simply watched her walk into the courtroom.
Denise and Howard presented themselves as the obvious choice.
They were married.
They had a larger home.
They had stable income.
They talked about private schooling and a better future for Vicky.
