Ava Was Accused of Taking Missing Money — Then the Security Camera Showed She Had Only Picked Up Cash Someone Else Dropped
Chapter 2 — Two Different Piles of Money
Sarah spread the bills across the kitchen table.
Two hundred and forty dollars.
Nicole stared at them.
“Then whose money is that?”
“Probably Owen’s.”
Sarah replayed the footage.
The cash clearly fell from his jacket.
Nicole looked toward her envelope.
“But I’m still missing one hundred and sixty.”
Sarah nodded.
“Maybe.”
Nicole frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means before we accuse anyone else, we’re checking whether one hundred and sixty dollars is actually missing.”
Nicole looked annoyed.
“I counted it.”
“Okay.”
“There were six hundred dollars in this envelope.”
“Now there are four hundred and forty.”
Sarah looked inside.
The envelope contained several bills and a handwritten note.
CAKE — 120
FLOWERS — 80
CATERING BALANCE — 300
DECORATIONS — 100
Total:
$600
The family was preparing a surprise anniversary lunch for Sarah and Nicole’s parents.
Nicole had volunteered to handle several cash payments.
The lunch was scheduled for that afternoon.
“When did you last count it?” Sarah asked.
“Around nine.”
“And who has been in the kitchen since?”
Nicole started listing names.
Sarah.
Ava.
Owen the repair technician.
The flower-delivery woman.
Michael, Sarah’s husband.
And Nicole herself.
Then Nicole looked toward Ava.
She stopped.
Only fifteen minutes earlier, that list would have sounded like a list of suspects.
Now she understood how quickly that thinking could become unfair.
Sarah asked:
“Did you pay anybody already?”
“No.”
Then Nicole hesitated.
“I don’t think so.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
“That’s different.”
Nicole sighed.
The morning had been chaotic.
Two deliveries arrived early.
The dishwasher stopped working.
The bakery called about the cake inscription.
Her mother nearly ruined the anniversary surprise by announcing she might visit unexpectedly.
Nicole had been answering calls while decorating the dining room.
She remembered opening the envelope several times.
But she could not remember every transaction clearly.
Sarah looked toward Ava.
“Sweetheart, you didn’t touch Aunt Nicole’s envelope?”
Ava shook her head.
“No.”
Sarah nodded.
“Okay.”
Nicole watched her.
Sarah did not say Ava was incapable of taking money.
She simply accepted that they currently had no evidence she had.
That distinction was already more than Nicole had given her.
