"Hello, Mrs. Hall," Alex said as he watched Caroline walk into the store.
Part of him wanted to say he was sorry about Neil, but the picture he had seen earlier was fresh in his mind. It had cooled whatever sympathy he might have shown.
Caroline's face didn't show a trace of sadness. If she were mourning her husband, she was hiding it well. She looked surprised to see Alex.
"I know this young man," she said, opening her handbag. "If it means we can drop this, I'll pay for the unicorn."
She wrote out a check and handed it to the woman. "You can go now," she said, gesturing for the woman to leave and ignoring her gratitude.
Caroline turned to Alex and said, "What's the matter with you? Don't you have any respect? And accusing that woman of being some kind of swindler? That unicorn was bought here this morning—I saw it with my own eyes.
"You're both adults, so I would expect you to have better manners. If you're so careless with other people's things, you should be ready to do whatever you can to make it right. Even if you can't afford it, you bite your tongue and pay it back in installments. This is a fact of life.
"Clearly you could never afford anything like that, but accusing that woman of trying to swindle you so you don't have to pay her back is ludicrous. You should be ashamed. Do you understand?"
Caroline curled her lips in scorn. "And to think that your generation wonders why you can't get anywhere in life."
"Ma'am, I didn't break anything," Debbie said. "I'm sure of it. And it's not like I'm just sitting on fifty thousand dollars. You didn't have to pay for it."
"Forget it," Caroline scoffed. "Fifty thousand dollars isn't the same thing to me as it is to you. It's practically pocket change."
Caroline looked her up and down. Debbie was dressed simply, like any other young woman her age, while she was wearing an expensive suit and was dripping with diamonds.
"I'm the one who buys everything for Joe," she said. "I can't believe my son's friends are so common."
She looked at Alex and Debbie as if they were scum. "That money wasn't for you, so forget about it," she said. "It's disgraceful that my son associates with you.
"I expected better of you, Alex. While you were at school, I thought you showed signs of decent breeding. Aren't you supposed to be running an academy or something? How is that possible when you're dressed like that?"
She gestured at Alex's clothes. It was true that his clothes were cheap. He had bought them at thrift shops. Considering how often someone tried to stab or shoot him, it had seemed like a good idea.
"Do you even know what fifty thousand dollars is?" she asked. "It's like fifty dollars for me. You can't even comprehend having access to that kind of money. It's not like you're still out chasing girls and wandering around every day. You should try getting real work. Even setting up a stall on the street is better than being a bum."
Caroline had been ranting at them for some time, and Alex was confused and annoyed. He didn't know where any of this was coming from. He had always been polite to her on the rare occasions their paths crossed, for Joe's sake. And he had never really thought of himself as an outsider.
We aren't even close, he thought. Is any of this necessary?
But he didn't say a word as he laid a hand on Debbie's shoulder. She was trembling with anger.
Caroline sighed with disdain. "I'll tell you what," she said. "Tomorrow morning, you and your girlfriend should come to Alcott for brunch. There's something I want you to see."
She had clearly despised Alex for a long time, so her sudden invitation confused him. But he accepted as graciously as he could.
She may be a snob, but she's still Joe's mother, he thought. Maybe this invitation is for his sake somehow. It was possible that Caroline would know that Joe's friends would want to be with him after losing his dad.
***
The next morning, Alex arrived at the Alcott alone. He was curious to know what Caroline wanted from him.
Joe posted a message on social media announcing that Neil's funeral is today, so why does she want to meet with me now? he wondered. He had come mostly to see what the eccentric woman had to say.
Alex was escorted to a luxurious private dining room. Caroline was already seated with several well-dressed people at a large table. The atmosphere was warm and cheery.
Everyone seemed to be chatting, laughing, and having a good time. At the head of the table, Caroline was radiant, fresh, and full of life.
You would never know that her husband just died, he thought.
Beside Caroline sat the man from the shop the day before, the same man from the picture he had seen on Debbie's phone. He looked like he was enjoying himself. Alex noticed his hand resting on Caroline's thigh.
Alex was shocked to see Joe sitting on the other side of her drinking coffee in silence, looking melancholy and emaciated. He had lost so much weight in a short period and had heavy dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't slept in weeks. It was obvious that the death of his father had taken a toll on him.
Neil's death had been ruled a robbery homicide. The official story was that Harvey had broken into the house and killed Neil as he tried to protect his family. His death was being lauded as a noble sacrifice.
"Alex," cried Caroline with a cheerful laugh. "I'm so happy you came."
She stood up to greet him and said, "Sit wherever you like." If she noticed that Debbie was not with him, she gave no sign.
Joe saw Alex, but his face was blank. He nodded at him and laughed sharply before lowering his head over his coffee. His face went blank again.
"Isn't the funeral today?" Alex asked Caroline. The celebratory air made him feel uneasy, and seeing Joe there was troubling.
"That was earlier," she said, "Tomorrow morning, he'll be cremated. We'll sprinkle his ashes before sunrise so that our lives will have a new beginning the next day."
"It's just that Joe told everyone online that it would be later today," Alex said. "A lot of people haven't had a chance to say goodbye."
He tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible, but he wasn't sure he succeeded. "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked.