Then I tore the page in half. Then in half again, and again, until the gold lettering lay in pieces beside the cake. A woman gasped. Chase laughed nervously, but nobody joined him this time. I closed the empty folder, nodded once to my father, and turned to leave. Behind me, I heard a chair scrape back hard.

Vincent was on his feet, gathering the scraps with shaking hands, pressing them together on the white tablecloth like a child with a puzzle. Guests leaned closer. I stopped at the edge of the lawn and watched him read. Promissory Note. Crane Estate, Olympia. Balance: $3.2 million. Holder: Meridian Design Holdings. And at the bottom, in my handwriting: Satisfied in full. His face went completely white.