Jackie said for the second time, repositioning herself on the couch next to Claire and covering the fringe on the cushion to protect it from the further unraveling her sister’s busy hands were trying to inflict. Claire had gathered her support system to the apartment and, driven by an unhealthy amount of caffeine, relayed the previous night’s events. “Nothing surprises me anymore,” Carolyn said. “Nuh—thing.” “This is crazy, right? How did I not know this was going on? And what the hell else is going on with this Kessler person?” “Whatever it is, it’s not kosher,” Gail said, biting into a scone. “What are your instincts saying about all of the financial weirdness?” Claire fiddled with a Kleenex, tying the tissue into several small knots. “Well, I called Neiman’s accounting this morning. Are you ready for this? The account had been shut down not due to disuse, but for nonpayment of an old balance. They’re sending it to collections.” She looked at the group incredulously.
