the number.”
I called the front desk directly and paid for two nights in a room under Paige’s name.
Then I ordered dinner for the three of them.
I used my own money.
I wouldn’t allow Wren and Max to spend the night in a parking lot because of a dispute between adults.
But I also wouldn’t send Scott thousands of dollars without knowing where that money would go.
Twenty minutes later, Wren appeared on a video call.
She was wearing a yellow sweatshirt and holding her astronomy book against her chest.
Her eyes were tired.
“Grandma?”
“Hello, sweetheart.”
She looked behind her, then returned her attention to the camera.
“Are you mad because we moved?”
“I’m sad I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Dad said you didn’t want us around anymore.”
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Who told you that?”
“Dad.
He said you were tired of helping us.”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
Then I leaned closer to the camera.
“Wren, I want you to hear something very clearly.
You are never a burden to me.
Not you, not Max.
You can live in Iowa, Arizona, or on the moon, and I will still love you.”
She swallowed.
“So we can still do Friday night?”
“Absolutely.
We’ll figure out how.”
She smiled a little and showed me the bookmark she’d made during the drive.
It was a paper rocket with crooked silver stars.
I asked her to give Max a hug from me.
When the call ended, I sat alone in the study, trying to understand why Scott had told two children that their grandmother no longer wanted them.
My phone rang again at 7:18.
This time it was Miriam.
“Mrs.
Calder, we’ve placed the current request on hold.
There are discrepancies concerning the provider.”
“Is it a real school?”
“We haven’t established that.
The name on the payment instructions does not match the name of the educational institution described in the supporting materials.
Our compliance team is investigating.”
She paused.
“We’ve also identified an earlier payment that requires review.”
“How much?”
“Fourteen thousand eight hundred dollars.”
The room felt colder.
“When?”
“June.”
“For what?”
“A three-week, in-person academic enrichment program in Flagstaff.
The records state that both grandchildren attended.”
I turned toward the bookshelf.
A ceramic mug painted with blue stars sat beside Frank’s photograph.
Wren had made it at our library’s summer program in June.
Max had attended too.
I’d been there nearly every afternoon, helping children select books, organizing activity tables, and taking photographs for the library’s volunteer coordinator.
Wren and Max hadn’t spent three weeks in Arizona.
They hadn’t spent three days there.
They had barely spent three consecutive days away from my house.
“Miriam, those children were in Iowa all June.”
She took a moment before answering.
“Do you have records that could help establish that?”
“Yes.”
“Please preserve them.
We’ll need to review the supporting documentation and determine whether the earlier payment was obtained through false representations.”
I asked who had certified that the children attended the program.
“Both parents signed the submitted attendance statement.”
I closed my eyes.
Miriam arranged for the records to be uploaded through the trust’s secure portal.
The invoice included a schedule, enrollment numbers, and confirmation that services had been completed.
Scott’s signature
