Page 78 of Faultlines

FIELD INVESTIGATION

Claire

My phone buzzes.

It’s the group chat Sloane created years ago to coordinate birthdays and family dinners. That noble purpose didn’t survive long. These days it’s mostly horse videos from Lucy, questionable memes from Sloane, photos of Ellie, and the occasional message that’s actually useful.

I open the chat and immediately regret it. Sloane has changed the group name again.

Last month we were The Chaos Coordinators. Before that, Lucy’s Emotional Support Humans. The previous masterpiece: Sloane’s Legal Defense Team.

Today’s title is...

The Investigation Committee

Sloane: I would like the record to reflect that I did not sleep last night.

Lucy: That’s because you drank three iced coffees after five pm.

Sloane: Wrong.

Please enlighten us.

Sloane: I was working the case.

Lucy: There is no case.

Sloane: There is absolutely a case.

Refer above to Lucy’s response.

Sloane: The evidence locker has been updated. I have officially logged Exhibit A into the case file: one suspicious restaurant receipt from a secret Seattle weekend. Frankly, Ethan should be embarrassed by his lack of operational security.

Lucy: Ethan told everyone he was going to Seattle for a conference. It wasn’t a secret.

Sloane: Exactly. That’s what makes it brilliant.

Please stop watching crime documentaries.

Sloane: Never.

Lucy: Ethan has been part of this family for twenty-five years.

Sloane: Exactly why we’re investigating.

That’s not how investigations work.

Sloane: That’s exactly how investigations work.

Lucy: We are not investigating Ethan.

Sloane: Then why did we spend ninety minutes at a coffee shop discussing evidence?

It wasn’t evidence.

Sloane: It was literally a receipt.

Lucy: I hate that she’s technically correct.