“Did you send it?’

“Yes,”

“Did she text back?”

“No.”

“Doesn’t she remember how much we love her?”

“The lies. She’s been fed too many lies.”

Love is stronger than lies.

Brother II did not accuse Blarney Boy of bribing the former detective with some of the stolen fifty thousand dollars.

But, after their indignant exit, he was able to theorize creative ways in which Blarney Boy could be guilty, yet still pass the lie detector test.

Brother II had heard chewing coffee grinds altered your heartbeat enough so a person could lie and fool the lie detector machine. He also heard that cocaine addicts could pass lie detector tests. The Woman with the Rock in her Shoe and Brother II were afraid that Blarney Boy blew fifty thousand dollars up his nose.

None of the family stage players, including the Sad Girl, found it interesting that Brother II would know about the techniques to beat a lie detector test.

A search was made during the subsequent weeks through the attic and the items left behind by the Sister Who Shall Not Be Named and Blarney Boy in a futile attempt to recover some of the missing money. No one checked to see if there were coffee grinds missing from the pantry.

The family drama had entered the realms of being a fantastic dream; a soap opera come to life. Regularly, new installments were added. The Sad Girl wished it would stop, but it just played on with the family characters entering and exiting the stage on cue with no conclusion in site.

*********

An inflamed affronted Sister Who Shall Not Be Named and Blarney Boy, twins in tow, left directly. They transported only their clothes and a large axe to grind. The acting duo sharpened their verbal dagger while traveling south on the Garden State Parkway.

Sister II had provided the miracle. They were no longer homeless after being physically kicked out of the family nest. Sister II, apparently well versed in the scene that had just played out on center stage, cordially took them in.

Sister II had known, after the fact, that the Woman with the Rock in Her Shoe set up Blarney Boy to expose him as a thief. She was duly outraged that the Woman with the Rock in her Shoe would engage in an underhanded scheme with a family member as the target.

Sister II was promptly reminded that she had done the same thing to a pilfering restaurant worker.

Sister II’s outrage reverberated through the phone line. She was furious at Brother II, the Pretend Father and the Woman with the Rock in her Shoe in particular, but her anger embraced everyone. She felt that as a family, we were gossiping about various situations.

Gossiping? No. Trying to figure out what the heck was going on, yes. We still are.

Goldilocks