He opened a chat log.

I read the words my husband had sent to Patricia.

*The old man’s lawyer is getting suspicious. We need to clear the accounts before the funeral.*

*Claire is too weak to notice. Just get the appraiser to the house.*

My hands began to shake in my lap.

“This is grand larceny,” Thomas said.

“It is forgery, fraud, and conspiracy.”

“This strips him of any claim to the estate under the state’s marital property laws.”

“We don’t have to wait for the probate judge next week.”

He turned his head to look at me, his eyes hard behind his spectacles.

“I am calling the sheriff,” he said.

“We will file for an emergency injunction and an eviction order tonight.”

“Can we throw him out?” I asked.

“By dawn,” Thomas said.

“He will have one hour to pack his clothes under police supervision.”

“I want to be there,” I said.

Thomas hesitated, his hand hovering over his phone.

“It could get ugly, Claire,” he warned.

“If he knows he has lost, he might do something desperate.”

“It is my mother’s house,” I said.