Kate brought a plate of toast and her cup of tea and sat beside him. “We need to tell you something.” She kept her voice low. Granny was in the spare room in the quarters but with the kitchen door off they might not get any warning of her arrival.

Milt looked from one to the other as Bree put a cup of coffee in front of him then slid into the chair on his other side.

“Fire away,” he said.

Kate glanced at Bree who gave her a brief nod.

“It’s about Granny.”

He frowned. “What’s she been up to this time?”

“We’re not sure that she’s actually been up to anything,” Bree said. “It might be Aunty Connie.”

“Hell’s teeth.”

“Don’t get cross, Dad.” Kate shot him a pleading look. “Just listen.”

Between them they started to fill him in on the financial discrepancies they’d found the day before. They paused when they heard a sound in the passage but it turned out to be Laura. Kate beckoned her in and she listened to the end of the story.

“Hell.” Milt flung out his arms and sat back in his chair as they finished. “That original payment was for your pa and granny together. Your mum must have forgotten about it in the process of setting up a new account for Granny. I just assumed she’d stopped it.” He looked from Bree to Kate again. “And now you reckon the money’s going to Connie’s account?”

Kate pursed her lips in a sad smile and nodded.

Milt surged forward and thumped the table with his fist, making the liquid in their untouched cups wobble. “Well, that stops now. My sister’s not getting another free cent from our hard work.” He scratched his head. “Can one of you stop the payments?”

“Easily,” Kate said.

“Good.”

“Dad, what’s going on with Aunty Connie?” Bree asked.

“Nothing.”

“We heard you and Granny discussing her last weekend.”

“Did you.” Milt scratched his head again. “I should have been following up but I’ve…well, I’ve had other things on my mind. You’re all part of the family business so you should know.”

“Know what?” Laura’s expression was puzzled. “What’s been going on? What did I miss?”

“This is to do with your Aunty Constance.” Olive strode into the room. She was dressed smartly as always, today in purple jumper and beige slacks, with her usual light application of make-up and a purple clip keeping her hair neatly in place. No-one had heard her coming.

“Is she trying to steal our property?” Laura asked.

“Not steal. We just want to even things up a bit.” Olive sat at the table. “Has the kettle boiled? I’d love a cup of tea.” She brushed at the clean wooden surface in front of her then looked up.