me, then back at the check.
His face turned white.
He pulled me aside into a glass office and closed the door.
“Ma’am,” he whispered, “we need to talk.”
“This check is drawn against the Whitaker Family Trust,” Callahan said, keeping his voice low, glancing once at the closed blinds like he wanted to make sure no one else could hear. “I need to ask you directly — did your grandmother explain anything about her financial situation recently? Any conversations about her health, her estate planning, anything unusual?”
“No,” I said slowly. “She just handed out checks at Christmas dinner. Everyone thought it was a joke. My father actually still thinks it’s fake.”
Callahan exhaled, something between relief and continued concern crossing his face. “It’s not fake. The trust holds considerably more than the sum represented on these checks, and Mrs. Whitaker has been our client for over thirty years. But
