“Listen. There weren’t any investments,” Jake said. “Not anymore.”
“You’re not making any sense!” Noah repeated the words with more emphasis, almost shouting as he pointed at Jake.
“There were stocks once, but I sold them when things got bad. And then I covered them.”
“Covered them how?” Noah asked.
“With what we got from new investments.”
“How long has this been going on?” Kate’s voice shook.
Phoebe shivered as she tried to make sense of Jake’s words, the children’s questions.
“I only need a few days. Next week I’m meeting with the lawyers—Gideon and his guys. He’s the best in New York. We’ll figure something out.”
“How long, Dad?” Kate repeated.
“Too long.” Jake bent over and mumbled to his shoes. “I’ll put everything right.”
Kate pressed between her eyes. She placed her cup on the coffee table, rose, and marched to where Jake sat. He appeared suddenly shrunken and old.
“Put it right?” Kate shook her hands at him. “Figure something out? You’re talking about a Ponzi scheme. That was your fucking scheme, Dad? That was your secret recipe? That was how you made the money soup? Jesus fucking Christ, there’s no making this right.”
Forever she’d remember Kate swearing at Jake and him remaining silent.
“A Ponzi scheme?” Phoebe asked.
“A fraud. He paid his clients’ so-called profits with infusions from new investors. There was no profit. He just gathered more people to fleece. He never invested anything,” Kate said. “Dad’s a thief.”
Jake lifted his head. “We still have some cash. I wrote out checks already for the people that matter. Listen, plenty of people made loads of profit before this.”
“Can you hear how insane you sound? They profited ’cause you gave them someone else’s money!” Kate closed her eyes and shook her head before continuing. “Let’s get this totally straight. You took people’s money to pay other people. It was all made up.”
Phoebe ripped at her palms with her nails.
Concentrate.
It was all gone?
He stole it?
Phoebe needed to focus. She forced herself to stare at the chair on which Jake sat. The needlework pillows her sister had made. “Why do you show that crap?” That’s how Jake talked about presents from her sister. But she’d fought him. She put out the pillows.
Jake dredged up his in-charge face, trying to grasp control and retain his roar of ownership. “Not always. I’m not saying that. Problems came, and obstacles kept happening. I didn’t set out to do this thing.”
“So how long? A month? A year? A decade?” Kate asked.
Jake threw up his hands. “Not a month. Or a year.”
“Longer?” Noah had been able to read his father since childhood.
Jake remained silent until Noah repeated himself. “Longer, Dad?”
“Much longer. Don’t you understand, Noah? Mom?” Kate shook her head in disgust. “He’s a criminal. We’ll be pulled down with him now that he’s told us.” She wrapped her hands around her upper arms. Her thinking posture. Phoebe tried to break free of her frozen coffin. Slivers of ice filled her throat.
They all watched, waiting for Kate the analyzer, Kate the problem solver, to conjure magic. Finally, she opened her eyes. Unwrapped her arms. She stood. “We’re going, Noah. Come with us, Mom.”
He stole money? He made it all up? Phoebe was locked in a conversation time delay as daughter Kate transformed into business Kate. Her daughter’s mind raced incessantly—didn’t Phoebe always say that about her girl?
Kate placed a hand behind Noah’s back. Phoebe wanted to go with her competent daughter, her tender son. Walk away from this stranger.
But look at Jake with his shaking hands. He looked like ashes.
“I never meant for this to happen,” he said.
“Who held the gun to your head?” Kate said.
“I’ll make it better.” He turned to Phoebe. “I can fix this. I promise. Gideon’s the best lawyer in the field. He’ll know what to do.”
“Mom, if Noah and I stay here, we’ll be accessories. Please. Come with us.”
“You won’t be in any trouble, Pheebs. You’re my wife.”
“How much did you put in her name, Dad?” Kate asked.
“You think I’d hurt your mother?” Jake asked. “I never involved any of you.” He wept again, the sounds torn from his throat.
“How can I leave your father all alone?” Phoebe choked out the words.
Kate tipped her head. “Did you know about this?” she asked Phoebe.
Phoebe touched her chest. “Oh my God, of course not.”
“How could you think that?” Jake said.
“How could I think it of you, Dad?” Kate put her arms around Phoebe and whispered, “Don’t take his side. Please.”
“Oh, baby,” she murmured, “there are no sides.”
Kate drew back. “There are only sides now.”
Noah seemed lost. “This isn’t possible. How could you do this?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Noah went to Jake and took his hands. “Dad . . . Oh, Dad.”
“Noah. We’re leaving now.”
Tears ran down her son’s cheeks.
Kate’s voice softened. “Come on, baby brother. Let’s go.”
“Kate,” Jake said. “Please. Wait. Phoebe, talk to them.”
“There’s a hurricane on the way.” Kate tugged Noah’s arm. “And we’re getting out of the path.”
Phoebe didn’t move. Didn’t say a word. Kate was smart—smarter than any of them.
Jake rose and came to the rocking chair. He clamped a hand on Phoebe’s shoulder, linking them, revolting her. His hand anchored her to horror.
“I need a few days, that’s all. Just a few days,” Jake insisted. “I already called Gideon and made an appointment,” he repeated.
He called a lawyer before he told us. Before he told me.
As though reading her mind, Jake squeezed her shoulder. “I couldn’t tell you until it was under control. If Theo hadn’t brought the kids in, I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“Theo knew?”
“I told him yesterday. He said he’d wait until Monday.”
“Wait until Monday?” Kate asked. “That’s what you told Uncle Theo? Might as well get him his own lawyer right now.”
Phoebe began to speak and then pressed her mouth shut. She didn’t want to understand any more.
“We’re leaving,” Kate said.
Jake continued to press her into the chair. She shrugged his hand away and went to her children. Kate raked furrows through her hair in harsh wounding movements. Phoebe reached up and pulled down her girl’s arm. She wiped Noah’s tears. “Shah, shah,” she said as though speaking to an injured toddler.
“This is a crucial moment, Mom.” Kate’s voice cracked. “Don’t put your head in the sand.”
Her savvy daughter would protect Noah. Zach would watch out for Kate—her son-in-law would never abandon his wife.
Jake slumped on the couch, a million years old.
How could he do this? Who would take care of him?