Through the windshield, Columbus went about its Tuesday. People walking, a bus pulling away from the curb, a child trying to drag a dog in a direction the dog did not wish to go. Somewhere in my house, Derek and Cynthia were making plans with money that was not theirs. And somewhere in my purse, a printed receipt with my name and a timestamp was about to become the thing that unraveled all of it. I started the car.
I drove home. When I walked through the front door, Cynthia was in the hallway and her eyes moved to my purse with a quick involuntary flicker that she could not quite control. Nice errand, she asked. Just some things to take care of, I said, and smiled and walked past her to my bedroom.
I could feel her watching the back of my head. Good, I thought. Let her wonder. The formal dispute was filed on a Tuesday afternoon. James submitted it to the Ohio Lottery Commission along with the transaction record from Garfield’s pharmacy, the security footage documentation, and a sworn affidavit from Ununice Garfield confirming the circumstances of the purchase.