Dan looked at me, his face pale, his thumb hovering over his phone screen.

“The gate is locked, Dan,” I said, my voice flat. “He can’t get up the driveway unless you buzz him in.”

“He has the sheriff with him, Annie,” Sarah whispered.

She gripped the edge of the kitchen island so hard her knuckles turned white.

“If the sheriff is out there, they aren’t going to just turn around,” Sarah said.

Juliette straightened her shoulders, her chin tilting upward in that familiar, cold way.

“Let them stay at the gate,” Juliette said. “Marcus has no right to bring authorities to this property.”

“He has every right if he’s trying to file a report about his car,” Dan said quietly.

He rubbed his forehead, his wedding ring catching the harsh light of the pendant lamp.

“It’s not just the car, is it?” Sarah turned on her mother, her eyes wide with a sudden, sharp panic.

“You told me the insurance handled it, Mom. You told me it was settled.”

“It is settled,” Juliette said, her voice clipping each word. “It is a family matter.”