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“Sorry to interrupt dinner, Nora, but I’m afraid I need to ask you to come with me.”

Mom pales. Dad walks in after Sheriff Spears.

“They have a warrant for your arrest, Nora.” Dad looks at her stricken. “Don’t say anything. I’ll follow you down to the station.”

“What am I being charged with?” Mom hasn’t moved an inch, but she puts her fork down gently and scoots her chair back. When she stands, she straightens her skirt and touches her hair.

“Fraud.” Doug clears his throat and looks uneasily at my dad. “For now.”

“I don’t suppose I should grab my purse, Doug?” She arches her eyebrow at Sheriff Spears. Her back is straight and her head is high like all of this is beneath her.

“We have a warrant to search your phone as well. It’s up to you if you want your purse, but it will be held in processing while you’re being booked.” He looks really uncomfortable. Sergeant Wallace, who we spoke to the night of the game, walks in.

“We weren’t able to contain it, Sheriff,” Tom Wallace says and glances around the room. “Sorry, Cameron. Media is already showing up.”

“I do love to make an exit.” Mom puts on her fake smile and takes the diamond ring off her finger. She glances at it before setting it beside my father’s plate. “I won’t be needing this either.”

Mom walks around the table and stops in front of me. “I don’t think this will take long. I should be back tonight.”

“This isn’t going to be easy, Nora,” Doug says as he steps forward to take her arm. “Do you want to cover your head so they can’t get pictures? We won’t cuff you.”

“That’s not necessary.” She waves her manicured hand and walks out the door with them.

Cameras flash as she steps out onto the porch and walks down the steps to the open door of the police car. Sheriff Spears helps her in and closes the door. A few camera crews and anchors try to shove microphones in his face as the reporters yell questions.

Dad steps beside me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “It might be a late night for me.”

The sheriff yells at the reporters, “No comment.”

He gets into the car and drives off. Before the reporters can think to turn and talk to us, Dad closes and locks the door. He runs a hand through his hair as he studies the warrant in his hand.

“I hate to ask, but can you stay at someone’s place tonight?” He lifts his worried eyes to mine. “I need to go to the station and sort this out. I don’t think they’ll give up trying to get their quote.”

He nods toward the reporters settling in on our lawn.

“Do you know what they’re going after her for?” I run a hand through my hair. “Obviously fraud is just to bring her in.”

Dad blows out a breath. “I’m not sure. But I’m going to find out.”

Will he make a trip to William Foster’s tonight? William said that Mom would go down for something. Is this it? Is it just a coincidence that she’s been charged after the drug ring was busted? Fuck.

“I can stay somewhere.” I glance at the dinner waiting on the table. My appetite is once again gone. “You’ll call me when you know something?”

He nods. His thoughts are obviously not on me right now. “I’ll stay with you two here until we figure out what’s going on with your mom.”

“The divorce?” I really hope this doesn’t fuck that up.

“The paperwork is already filed. We don’t really have anything else we need to do. Just wait for the paperwork to make it through the system. I called in a favor with a judge. And I gave Nora whatever she wanted.” Dad focuses in on me. “Except you.”

“What do you mean?”

“She wanted full custody. It doesn’t make sense since you’re already eighteen, but she wanted to fight over you. I refused, and the judge agreed you can make your own decision on which parent to live with.” Dad takes a deep breath and releases it. “I’m going to tell the reporters they won’t get anything here and then head to the station.”

I nod. My mind spins. There are a few too many coincidences.

“Dad?”

He stops and turns back to me. I have some information that might be useful, but it’s all conjecture. The problem is, it’s circumstantial, but William Foster said Mom was in business with him and could get in trouble.