Ava Was Accused of Taking Missing Money — Then the Security Camera Showed She Had Only Picked Up Cash Someone Else Dropped
Chapter 4 — Owen Comes Back for His Money
Sarah called Owen Reed.
He answered from his van.
“Everything okay with the dishwasher?”
“Yes.”
“But did you lose some cash?”
Silence.
Then:
“Wait.”
Sarah heard him moving around.
“Oh no.”
“How much?”
Owen checked his pocket.
“Two hundred and forty dollars.”
Sarah looked toward Nicole.
Exact match.
“We have it.”
Owen sounded relieved.
The money belonged to his teenage son.
His son had been saving for a refurbished laptop.
Owen was supposed to deposit the cash on his way home.
He had placed it in his jacket pocket that morning.
“I can’t believe I dropped it.”
Sarah smiled toward Ava.
“My daughter found it.”
Owen returned twenty minutes later.
Ava stood beside Sarah when he arrived.
Sarah handed the money to Ava.
“You found it.”
“You give it back.”
Ava held out the bills.
Owen stared at her.
“You saved me from a very unhappy conversation with my son.”
Ava smiled slightly.
“It fell by robot.”
“Apparently my pocket and your robot formed an alliance.”
She giggled.
Owen took the money.
Then looked toward Sarah.
“Thank you.”
Sarah pointed toward Ava.
“Thank her.”
Owen did.
Nicole watched from the kitchen.
The contrast was uncomfortable.
The same money Nicole treated as proof that Ava had taken something…
was actually money Ava had protected for somebody else.
After Owen left, Nicole looked toward the envelope again.
“Okay.”
“Now I really want to know where my one hundred and sixty dollars went.”
Sarah smiled faintly.
“This time we’re investigating before prosecuting.”
Nicole sighed.
“I deserved that.”
