Arthur walked into his study and sat down behind the heavy desk.
He put his head in his hands for a long quiet moment.
Sarah followed him inside and sat in the chair opposite him.
Helen stood near the doorway with her head held high and stiff.
Sarah: Tell me the truth about what is happening, Dad.
Arthur: I gave Helen full access to our family bank accounts last year.
Helen: I was trying to secure our financial future through modern stock trades.
Sarah: You gambled away my mother's estate on risky market bets?
Helen: It was a calculated investment that suffered an unforeseen dip!
Arthur raised his head and looked at Helen with deep sadness.
Arthur: You forged my signature on those trust release forms.
Helen: I did what was necessary to cover the margin calls on the account!
Sarah felt a heavy weight lift from her father's reputation.
He had not betrayed her mother's final wishes after all.
He was a victim of Helen's secret financial greed and deceit.
Sarah: Forging a legal signature is a major crime, Helen.
Helen: We are a family! No one is calling the police here.
Sarah: This trust was created under strict state probate law.
Arthur pulled his telephone receiver toward his right hand slowly.
Arthur: I am calling our corporate divorce lawyer right now.
Helen: Arthur, think about what people in town will say!
Arthur: I care more about my daughter's future than town gossip.
Helen stepped toward the desk with a sharp look on her face.
Helen: You cannot kick me out of this house without a fight!
Sarah: My mother's name is on the original property deed, Helen.
Sarah pulled a second paper out of the thick trust folder.
She had checked the property titles earlier that morning downtown.
The house belonged entirely to the original estate trust.
Helen had no legal claim to the property or the furniture inside.
Sarah: You have no legal rights to stay here another night.
Helen looked between Sarah and Arthur in complete silence.
Her calm posture vanished completely in an instant.
Helen: You planned this surprise visit to ruin me today!
Sarah: You ruined yourself the day you put on that stolen ring.