“I know. I know. I’m not saying she’s not culpable, but something is going on here, something that makes me think Cynthia may be a victim in this, too.”
The next morning, almost as soon as Marcus came in at eleven, I headed to the bank with our deposit. I’d held it again so that I could take it over in person as an excuse to talk to Cynthia.
As soon as I walked in the lobby, I saw her behind the counter, waiting on a customer. I stood in line, letting tellers take other customers until Cynthia was free. When she saw me, she grimaced but then tried to turn it into a smile.
I walked up and handed her my deposit envelope, and then I quietly said, “Cynthia, you don’t have to tell me anything, but if you’re in some kind of trouble, I’d like to help.”
Cynthia kept counting my money and prepa
