I looked at James’s lamp.
“I want to know what was taken.”
Then I added, “I want them to stop entering my house. And I want my son to stop treating my future estate as permission to use what belongs to me now.”
Elaine told me we needed to separate the issues.
The criminal investigation.
Property recovery.
Home security.
Estate planning.
And my relationship with Tommy.
We started with an inventory.
That was painful.
The silver serving set was gone.
James’s watch was gone.
The candlesticks.
The bracelet.
Two paintings.
Then I discovered smaller things missing.
A porcelain figurine.
James’s coin collection.
Several pieces of jewelry.
A camera.
A crystal bowl.
Some items were valuable.
Others were not.
But all of them were mine.
Police eventually recovered several pieces.
The silver service had been sold to an antique dealer.
James’s watch turned up at a pawn shop after its serial number matched an old insurance record.
