“This is all a fabrication by David’s competitors,” my mother said, her voice thin.
“The District Attorney does not act on competitor gossip, Eleanor,” Julian said.
“Why would Mark do this?” Robert asked, looking from Julian to me. “He has a beautiful home, a successful wife.”
“He has ninety thousand dollars in personal credit card debt and a tax lien on his car,” I said.
The parlor clock ticked twice, a heavy, mechanical sound in the silence.
“We can handle this privately,” Uncle Robert said, his tone softening as he looked at me. “If we pay back the deposits, can we make the charges go away?”
“The deadline for the civil response is January twentieth,” Julian said. “That is five days from now.”
“We can raise the money,” Robert said.
“The federal investigators are already auditing the visa business, Robert,” Julian said. “It is out of our hands.”
“You did this to us, David,” my mother said, her eyes suddenly wide and dark. “You brought these people into our private affairs.”
