Page 83 of The Family Guest

“Impossible! I’ve used these caterers for years. They’d never do such a thing!”

Will stepped in. “Grandma, when I went to use the bathroom, I saw Tanya go into your room.”

Tanya leaped to her feet, splattering her apple cider on the beige carpet. She glowered at Will. “I did no such thing!”

I tutted. “Seeing is believing.”

Her face grew crimson, her voice decibels louder. “He’s a freaking liar!”

“You’re the liar,” my little brother retorted.

Cecilia, the lawyer, put in her two cents. “She’s innocent until proven guilty.”

“You’re right.” My grandma’s eyes bounced between the two of them. “There’s only one way to find out.” She looked at my brother, my partner in crime. “Will, would you be kind enough to retrieve Tanya’s backpack from the spare bedroom?”

“I’m perfectly capable of getting it myself,” snapped Tanya.

“And you’re perfectly capable of removing the evidence,” scoffed my grandma. “Stay put!”

No one, not even Tanya, defied my grandma. Will leaped to his feet. In a jiff, he was back with Tanya’s backpack.

“Give that to me, you little brat! It’s mine!” Tanya tried to snatch it from him.

Too late. My brother had already handed it to Grandma, who stole a glance at the enraged Tanya.

“I hope you don’t mind… I’m going to search through it.”

“Be my guest. I have nothing to hide.” She plopped back down on the couch, next to my mom, folding her arms across her chest.

Setting the bag on the coffee table in front of me, my grandma unlatched it and began to remove the contents, item by item. So I could clearly see them.

Lip gloss. Her cell phone. Sunglasses. A pack of Trident gum. A set of keys to our house. An emery board. Hairbrush. Mirror. Several loose tampons. A tin of CBD gummies…

And lots of scrunched-up receipts, which my grandma flattened out for my viewing. Among them, a mile-long one from a Walmart in Redlands for various beauty products, including platinum-blonde hair color, plus some clothing and luggage, dated August 27—the day she stole Mary’s laptop and money. And another for a Greyhound bus ticket from Redlands to LAX dated the next day. The one on which we’d picked her up at the international terminal.

Yes! I did a mental fist pump. Still no passport, but we now had solid proof Tanya wasn’t from the UK; she hadn’t traveled from London’s Heathrow. Will and I exchanged a quick look as Tanya blurted, “See, I’m innocent.”

“I’m not done yet!” retorted my grandma, her hand still rifling inside the canvas bag. My gaze stayed on her as the look on her face went from furious to victorious. With a wicked glint in her eyes, she yanked out one more thing from the bag.

“My pearls!” The diamond-clasped heirloom was draped around her bony hand.

We all gasped.

Tanya’s jaw fell to the floor. “What!?”

My grandma shot eye daggers at her. “You stole my pearls, young lady!”

Tanya’s eyes blinked like she’d seen a mirage. “I did not!”

“Don’t lie to me! The evidence is right here.” Grandma held up her hand, the diamond clasp catching the last of the late afternoon sunlight. “And don’t think I don’t remember how you eyed my pearls when I first met you.”

“I’ve been set up! Probably by that no-good granddaughter of yours.” Tanya burst into tears and began to sob. I was enjoying every minute of her dramatic outburst because for once the great actress wasn’t faking. Her face crumpling, she tore a look at my mother. “Natalie, please…tell her I’d never do such a thing!”

My shell-shocked mother wrapped her arms around her. She cried on my mother’s shoulder, sprinkling tears on her cashmere winter-white sweater.

My mom smoothed her hair. “Shh…We all do bad things.”

A red-eyed Tanya looked up at her. “You don’t believe me either?”