Chapter 14 - The Cracks in the House
A family built on narcissism and cruelty cannot survive when the money and power run out.
By the time Richard managed to liquidate an old boat and borrow against his retirement to post his own bail, he returned to an empty, echo-filled house.
Diane had spent the last three days ransacking the home.
Terrified of going to jail herself, Diane had packed four suitcases of designer jewelry, silverware, and high-end antiques, planning to flee to her sister’s condo in Florida. When Richard walked through the front door, disheveled, unshaven, and smelling of jailhouse antiseptic, he found Diane stuffing silver candlesticks into a duffel bag.
The screaming match that ensued could be heard from two houses away.
"You miserable coward!" Richard roared, kicking a suitcase across the foyer. "You're stealing my assets while my business goes under?"
"Your business was already dead, Richard!" Diane shrieked back, her face red and contorted with hysteria. "You stole from Sarah’s trust! You lied to me about our savings! Now the IRS is auditing our taxes, the country club cancelled our membership, and my daughter is rotting in jail because you couldn't control her!"
"My daughter? She's *your* spoiled brat!" Richard shouted. "You encouraged her! You laughed at that kid! You ruined this family!"
The police had to be called by the neighbors to break up the fight.
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By nightfall, Diane had moved into a cheap motel on the outskirts of the highway, while Richard sat alone in his empty four-thousand-square-foot house, drinking scotch in the dark as foreclosure warnings piled up in his mailbox.
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