The two of them stood there like royalty, waiting for me to put my name on the paper.
But I slid the agreement across the table toward them and said calmly, "If anyone's signing this, it's you two. I'm not the one with standing."
Elmer thought I was refusing. His voice dropped to something dangerous. "Margaret, don't push your luck."
"Your mother was a nobody—unemployed, no value to anyone. Lorraine is young. She has her whole life ahead of her. You'd really destroy her future over a dead woman?"
Vanessa wrinkled her nose in agreement. "Exactly. Your mother was a waste of resources while she was alive. Lorraine practically did the world a favor."
"You should be thanking her, not trying to shake her down."
I kept my tone even. "You've got it wrong. What I'm saying is—the woman who died is your mother. This settlement agreement? Only you can sign it."
Vanessa's composure cracked instantly. "Have you lost your mind, Margaret? You're standing at my mother's welcome-home banquet, cursing her with talk of death?"