Malcolm's mouth opened, then closed. Simone put the page down, leaving father and son with enough silence to hear the tick of the small wooden clock inside the box. Finally Malcolm said, "I didn't say you had dementia."
"You didn't have to," Arthur answered. "You gave him the words he needed to make it sound that way."
Simone explained that a family member's statement was not a legal determination of incapacity. Arthur's limited authorization for Malcolm to pay bills during his knee surgery had never allowed the sale of the home, and it had since been revoked in writing. Yet the combination of a trusted relative, an older owner, and complicated paperwork had given Grant the appearance of legitimacy he needed to pressure a title company into moving forward. "That is why we took immediate action," Simone said. "Not because Mr. Bennett needs someone to rescue him from being old, but because someone tried to use his age against him."
Malcolm sat on the edge of the sofa. The frame containing his mother's birthday photograph lay beside his knee, still facedown. "What about the money?" he asked, almost to himself.
Simone looked at him. "What money?"
He dragged both hands over his face. "Grant advanced me seven thousand dollars. He said it would come out of closing, and if I got the packing done before Tuesday he'd waive the processing fee. I used it to pay two men who worked for me. I owed them wages. I couldn't tell them to wait any longer."
Arthur closed his eyes. For months he had believed the sale was about Malcolm getting rich from the house. Seven thousand dollars would not make anyone rich. But it was enough to explain the urgency, the shame, the relentless calls, and the way Malcolm had been moving furniture as if the truck were already at the curb. His son had become tangled in a bad arrangement and was pulling the whole family toward it rather than admitting he was trapped.
"Did you promise him the house?" Arthur asked.
"I told him I could get it done. He said that because I was the successor, everything could be handled once we had the certificate. I thought if I could fix the shop, I could pay you back. I thought we'd get a place with everything on one floor, and you'd still have money for whatever you wanted."
"You didn't ask what I wanted."
"You were going to say no."
"That's what asking means, Malcolm. The other person gets to answer."
Simone offered him a business card. "Do not destroy the messages from Mr. Holloway or sign any more paperwork. Do not speak for your father. I recommend getting independent legal advice about the advance you accepted and the statement you signed. Your interests and his may not be the same, and I represent him. I also recommend that you stop moving his property today."
Malcolm took the card but did not look at it. "Are you going to have me arrested?"