The heels of her leather shoes clicked sharply against the stone floor.

“You should have kept a closer eye on your books, Evelyn,” she said.

“A good wife knows where her husband spends his time and his money.”

“Do not lecture me about being a wife,” I said.

“Your son is a thief, and you are his accomplice.”

“We did what was necessary to survive,” Marjorie said, stopping just a few feet away from me.

“This town would be nothing without our family.”

“This town was built by my father,” I said.

“And you have turned his legacy into a playground for your greed.”

Julian’s phone buzzed again, a short, sharp vibration.

He checked the screen and looked up at me.

“The developer’s agent just text-messaged Graham,” Julian said.

“They are meeting at the estate tomorrow evening to sign the preliminary agreement for the chapel land.”

“They think the reversionary clause is a done deal.”

“We cannot let them sign that,” Pastor Whitcomb said, his voice trembling with urgency.

“If the developer gets the land, the chapel will be demolished by the end of the month.”