I put the card away and never thought about that afternoon again until the report showed up. Now I sit at the same spot and wonder how long she had been planning it. The total on those cards is more than she would ever need for rent or a car.

Twenty three thousand dollars adds up to a lot of something else.

The phone calls with the bank keep replaying in my mind. “We can start the claim today,” the woman said. I asked again what happens if it is family. She said the paperwork would go through the same way. “The addresses and the login records will tell the story,” she added. That part gave me some comfort because maybe I will not have to be the one saying the name.

Still, I have not gone back to Lowe’s for the washing machine. The old one is still working for now even if it leaks a little on the floor. I put a towel under it and keep going like nothing changed. But everything has.

My hands shake a bit when I open the mail now. I keep expecting another letter from the bank or the police. So far it has been quiet. I signed the forms and put them in the drawer with the old statements. That is as far as I can go for now.

The records from the bank are going to show the Greensboro address and the dates that match her visit. I do not have to say anything else. The report will do the rest.