Margaret Walks Across the High School Stage on a Warm June Morning

“Marilyn,” I said, trying to recall the name. “My friend from the country club,” she said. “We talked about it last week, remember?” “Right,” I said, though I had no recollection of any such conversation. “When are you leaving?” “Tomorrow evening, around six,” she said. “The traffic on I-70 should be lighter by then.” I…

By one o’clock, I was back in Richard’s conference room. The table was covered in thick, cream-colored pages that smelled of fresh ink. Richard sat at the end of the table, his glasses sliding down his nose as he turned the pages. “This is the trust agreement,” he said, pointing to a paragraph near the…

Rachel leaned back, the old wooden chair creaking under her weight. She picked up her tea but did not drink it yet. “We need to look at the money trail, Olivia, because people do not get this angry over empty land.” “The foreclosure notice was addressed to him,” I said. “I found the yellow envelope…

Marcus walked in five minutes late. He looked smaller than he had at the gas station, his shoulders hunched inside his faded canvas jacket. He pulled the cuffs of the jacket down over his hands as he slid into the booth across from me. “Thank you for coming, Marcus,” I said. The waitress returned with…

I let it lie there in the dust, its plastic casing catching the gray morning light. Elena wiped her fingers on her jeans, her face pale as she stared down at the little black box. “We need to get inside,” she said. I did not answer her. I picked up the magnet, threw it into…

“We do not have three weeks,” I said. “Sable has already changed the locks on the house.” Frank paused, his hand hovering over his glasses. “She locked you out of the house?” “I am sleeping in the garage room,” I said. Frank closed his folder with a sharp snap that echoed in the small booth….