My Mother Recognized My Fake Fiance From an Autumn Night Five Years Ago
“Don’t bring my tuition into this,” I said. “You lied to the police, you lied to the insurance company, and you let an innocent man take the blame.”
Christopher reached up and brushed his left coat lapel with his thumb. “I had to sell my father’s silver pocket watch to pay the first month’s storage on my salvaged lumber.”
He pulled the pocket watch from his pocket and laid it on the table. The silver casing was scratched, but the face was clean.
“The date on the pawn receipt is November twelfth,” Christopher said. “Exactly six days after you signed that release, David.”
My father stared at the watch. “I remember that week. I was fixing the lawnmower door.”
“You were hiding,” I said. “You spent three days in the garage because you couldn’t look at Christopher’s name on the paperwork.”
My father did not answer. He stared at the pocket watch.
“I found the lawnmower receipt in your desk, Dad,” I said. “The brass screw you used to fix the door was bought on the same afternoon you withdrew the forty-five thousand dollars.”
