The heavy leather of my purse hit my sternum. I grabbed the straps before the bag could drop to the concrete floor, the metal buckles digging into my palms.
"You're taking the front seat," I said.
Cody kept his hands firmly on the door frame, blocking my path to the passenger side. "Vanessa needs to set up the Bluetooth."
"Cody." I lowered my voice, forcing him to hear the absolute finality in it. "We drove here together. We're twelve miles from the house. Are you really going to leave me stranded in a dealership parking lot?"
My son refused to meet my eyes. He shifted his weight, his gaze darting past my shoulder to where Vanessa stood.
Vanessa offered a bright, practiced smile. "It's a two-seater in the front, Beth. The back is full of the spare tires and the promotional boxes Marcus gave us. There's simply no room."
"I'm asking my son," I snapped, keeping my focus pinned on the teenager in front of me. "Cody. Answer me."
He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing against the collar of his gray hoodie. "I'll see you at home, Mom."
Before I could respond, Richard walked up behind Cody and clapped a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Stop giving him a hard time," Richard said. He pulled a pair of dark aviator sunglasses from his shirt pocket and slid them on, masking his expression. "We need to enjoy the new car first. Call a ride, Beth. The dealership has Wi-Fi if you don't have enough data."
"You drained the emergency fund," I reminded him, my grip tightening on my purse straps. "A rideshare back to the suburbs costs forty dollars."
"Put it on your credit card," Richard replied dismissively. "Or take the bus. You always say you like saving money."
He nudged Cody toward the driver's side.
Cody opened the door and slid into the pristine leather seat. He pulled the door shut without looking back.
Vanessa walked around the front grille, her beige trench coat swishing around her calves. She opened the passenger door, tossed her designer tote onto the floorboard, and climbed in.
Richard stepped back, crossing his arms as the engine roared to life. The exhaust echoed loudly off the cinderblock walls of the delivery bay, a deep, rumbling sound that vibrated in my chest.
I stood my ground for three seconds. I waited for Cody to roll down the window. I waited for him to pause, to show a single ounce of hesitation.
He shifted the car into drive.
The dark blue Ford rolled forward, its tires squeaking against the polished concrete. The brake lights flared red for a fraction of a second as Cody navigated the exit ramp, and then the vehicle turned right, merging onto the busy highway.
They were gone.
Richard adjusted his watch. He turned on his heel and walked toward the customer lounge, presumably to wait for his own ride or finish his complimentary coffee.
I turned and walked the opposite way, pushing through the heavy glass side doors and stepping out into the harsh afternoon air.
The wind whipped across the asphalt. I walked past rows of used sedans and bright promotional banners until I reached the edge of the dealership lot. A tall, aluminum flagpole stood near the sidewalk, the rope clanking rhythmically against the metal pole. No flag flew today.
I stopped under the empty pole and pulled my phone from my coat pocket.
My fingers were stiff from the chill, but I unlocked the screen and opened the transit app. I typed in my home address.
The route loaded. A gray line stretched across the map, navigating through three different transfer stations.
Next arrival: 47 minutes.
I stared at the glowing number. Forty-seven minutes standing on a concrete curb, twelve miles from the house I paid the mortgage on.
My thumb hovered over the phone icon. A part of me wanted to dial Richard's number. I wanted to scream into the receiver, demand he bring the car back, demand he return my money.
I closed the phone app.
No more arguing over fairness.
I opened my photo gallery instead.
Earlier, when Marcus had placed the paperwork on the glass desk, I had snapped a quick picture of the vehicle registration form to send to my insurance agent. I pulled the image up now.
The bold text glared back at me. VANESSA PAGE.
I tapped the share icon. I typed in my personal email address—the one Richard did not have the password to.
Subject line: Title Evidence.
I hit send. The swoosh sound confirmed it flew through cyberspace, locking the proof away on a secure server.
Next, I opened the banking app.
The green logo loaded, followed by the dashboard.
Joint Emergency Fund.
Balance: $3,960.00.
I pressed the power and volume buttons simultaneously. The screen flashed white, capturing the image.
I tapped the transaction history. The top line displayed the outgoing wire.
-$10,900.00. Dealership Auto Draft.
I took another screenshot.
I attached both images to a new email.
Subject line: Unauthorized Withdrawal - November 12.
I hit send again.
For three years, I had treated that account as a shared responsibility. I had poured my overtime, my holiday pay, and my lunch money into it, believing it would protect Cody. Now, I was stripping away the sentimental value. The numbers on the screen were no longer a safety net. They were ammunition.
I shoved my freezing hands into my coat pockets, keeping my phone firmly gripped in my right palm.
The wind howled louder, rattling the metal clips against the flagpole. Cars rushed past on the highway, a blur of gray and black metal.
I checked the time. Thirty-two minutes left until the bus arrived.
I shifted my weight, trying to keep the blood flowing to my toes. I began calculating my next paycheck, figuring out exactly how much I could divert into a solo checking account before Richard noticed the direct deposit change. I needed a lawyer. I needed to separate my income entirely.
My phone vibrated against my knuckles.
I pulled it out, expecting a text from Cody making a half-hearted excuse for leaving me.
It wasn't a text.
It was a push notification from the bank.
SECURITY ALERT: Outgoing Transfer Initiated.
I tapped the banner. The app demanded my thumbprint. I pressed my finger to the sensor, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The joint account dashboard loaded.
The balance read $0.00.
Below it, a new pending transaction pulsed in yellow text, showing the exact remaining balance of $3,960.00 moving into an unrecognized external account.
