"Right away, Mr. Vance," the driver replied, bowing slightly before picking up Margaret's single roller suitcase and carrying it down to the waiting limousine.
Chapter 6: The Long Road to Greenwich
Julian reached out, placing his arm around Margaret's shoulders. "Ready, Grandma?"
Margaret looked back one last time at the house she had funded—at the manicured lawn, the brick steps, and the two people standing on the porch, arguing violently with each other as their carefully constructed illusion of success collapsed around them.
She turned her back on 412 Elmbrook Way.
"I’ve been ready for six months, Julian," Margaret said, a clear, beautiful smile illuminating her face.
Julian guided her down the walkway, holding the rear door of the stretch limousine open as she stepped inside the plush, leather-lined interior. The cabin smelled of fresh white lilies, cedarwood, and soft leather. On the walnut console sat a warm mug of chamomile tea—prepared exactly the way she liked it—along with a velvet-lined jewelry box containing her late husband Arthur's brass pocket watch, which Richard had pawned four months ago and Julian had quietly tracked down and bought back.