Garrett then mentioned the buried collection and Dad’s continued cooperation.
Dad remained calm.
“I’ve cooperated with the police from the beginning. I’ll continue cooperating.”
Garrett described the payment dispute as a misunderstanding.
Dad simply said:
“I’m sure it was.”
The check would be ready by four o’clock.
When Garrett walked away, I turned to Dad.
“Did you know this was going to happen?”
“No.”
“But you knew the box would give you leverage.”
“I knew I had handled the box correctly.”
“That’s not exactly an answer.”
Dad looked at me.
“I found something that wasn’t mine. So I documented it, called the right people, and protected myself with witnesses.”
Then he nodded toward the house.
“After Melissa brought your job into a payment dispute, I wasn’t coming back here alone.”
That stopped me.
“You consider what she said a threat?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to confront Richard about it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because Richard is smart.”
