No one had listened to a word I’d said.
But I wasn’t in my parents’ living room now, and the boy standing beside me, the one curling his hand around mine? He believed me, and even if no one else did—
That was enough.
I tossed the five sets of stapled papers down on the table in front of Judy, and the stack spun across the flat surface until she put a hand down on top to stop it.
“They can see for themselves,” I said. “I made copies.”
Time hung in a long, drawn-out moment as our gazes locked on each other. It was clear she was evaluating her next step, trying to find a new angle to attack me from, but it would be wasted. She wasn’t aware she’d already lost the battle, and I hadn’t even brought out the big guns yet.
The guy at the end of the table reached a hand out, motioning for her to pass a copy to him, but instead of doing that, she wrapped her hands around the stack and scrunched the papers beneath her death grip.
Like she was a child not wanting to give back the toy she’d just stolen from another kid.
And that action? It said it all.
“Judy,” the woman next to her whispered, stunned.
“There’s more,” I said. “What legal services are Walters Law Offices providing to the board?”
The crack in Judy’s armor widened and she let out the tiniest sound of dismay.
“Judy could answer that better than the rest of us,” the guy said, “but we were told they review the language if there are by-law changes or new rules we’re voting on.”
I gave him a plain look. “Then, you’ll be interested to know that when I asked Walters if they’d have a conflict of interest in bringing a suit against this board, they said no. They haven’t done any work for this HOA before.”
“What?” one of the board members asked.
“That can’t be right,” another said. “They’ve been on retainer for years.” The woman turned to stare at Judy, whose gaze was glued to the tabletop. “Ever since you brought them on.”
“Who’s been doing it, then?” the vice president asked.
“My guess?” I said. “No one.”
Alarm seized the guy at the end of the table. “How much have we paid out for legal services?” When no one on the board immediately answered, he glared at the woman beside him. “Vicky? You’re the treasurer.”
Vicky clearly had no idea, and her embarrassed gaze shifted my way.
“At least twelve thousand,” I said, “but probably a lot more. That’s why the fund has hardly any money in it.”
The board degraded into shouting angry questions at each other. Some wanted to know how this had happened, and others looked to shift the blame.
“I never wanted to be the treasurer!” Vicky cried. “I told Judy I didn’t have the time, but she said it’d be easy. She did the budget and the reports, and all I had to do was sign off on them.”
That must have been the moment when Judy realized she’d lost control and there was no coming back. No lie she could tell or story to spin would let her walk away from this. Her face crumbled, she gave a painful wail, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
But even as she buried her face in her hands and her shoulders shook with sobs, I struggled to believe her. Her emotions were too forced, and I couldn’t help but think these insincere tears were a tool to help so she wouldn’t have to face consequences.
The guy was having none of it. “Stop that. You don’t get to play the victim when you stole—” His gaze darted to me.
“Thirty-eight thousand.”
“Thirty-eight thousand dollars from us,” he finished. “Christ.”
“We’ve already discussed the situation with some of the homeowners,” Nina said. “We think we can get everyone to agree not to press charges if Judy resigns and pays everything back.”
This made Judy cry harder. “I don’t,” she choked out between sobs, “have it.”
“Because you gambled it away,” I said.
Her tears suddenly ceased, her shocked gaze snapped to mine, and the thought in her mind was loud on her face. How the hell do you know that? When I didn’t give her an answer, she sniffled and wiped her nose, striving for a reassuring tone. “I can get it back.”
“Yes,” came from a chair a few rows back. It was Dr. Lowe. “You can sell, or the HOA will foreclose on your house to recoup what you stole. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I’ll be thrilled to watch you move out.”
Her mouth dropped open, but before she could put together a response, a new voice spoke up. It was Lilith’s serious-looking boyfriend Clay, the one who wore glasses and had been reserved when I’d met him.
“Put the Judy situation to the side for minute,” he said, “because there’s a motion on the table that needs to be addressed first. This board made an agreement with the Woodsons, and I feel strongly you should continue to honor it. These ‘kids’ Judy claims are being exploited? Just look at them.” He tossed a hand at us. “They’re adults, and what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home is no one’s business.” Frustration seeped into his voice, sounding like this was deeply personal to him. “We’ve had enough judgment out of this board to last a lifetime, and if it wasn’t for this girl, who knows how long that was going to continue? This is the least y’all can do.”