I discovered that slowly.

The first clue came when Eli needed new glasses.

Denise claimed we could not afford them, but the following weekend she returned home with a designer handbag and three shopping bags from SouthPark Mall.

The next clue came when I received an acceptance letter from a summer college program.

The deposit was six hundred dollars.

Denise refused to pay it.

“That sounds like an unnecessary vacation disguised as education,” she said.

Two days later, a new sectional sofa was delivered to the living room.

Whenever I mentioned the account Mom had left us, Denise’s expression hardened.

“That money is being managed responsibly.”

“Can we see the statements?”

“No.”

“Can we speak to the attorney?”