Chapter 1 - The Fist at Dawn
Wade's fist hit the storm door again, hard enough to shake rain from the glass. Margaret stood in the hall in a blue robe, one eye blurred and the other covered by a plastic shield. The bank specialist was still speaking into her phone. "The loan balance is nineteen thousand four hundred dollars, Mrs. Bell. We froze the account after your power of attorney was revoked." Outside, Wade shouted, "Caroline was fixing it!" Margaret had not mentioned Caroline. She had not even said the word loan. That detail steadied her more than anger could. She slid the deadbolt into place and looked at the green accordion file on the table, swollen with years of receipts. "Back away from my door," she said. Wade pressed both palms to the glass. "You don't understand what you'll do to her." The kettle in the kitchen began to whistle, thin and shrill. Margaret let it scream while the banker asked whether she recognized the application date. It was the morning May came home from the hospital. Wade knew why.
