Martha’s eyes filled.
“We’ve come to take care of you,” Tommy said. “Properly. Publicly. Permanently.”
Gerald lunged toward the case. “As her husband, I—”
“No,” Martha said.
Everyone froze.
Her voice shook, but it did not break.
“I said no.”
Then Tommy opened the top file.
“Before we go further, Martha, you should know something. This boarding house doesn’t belong to your landlord anymore.”
She frowned.
Tommy met her eyes.
“It belongs to us. We bought it this morning. And Gerald has been stealing from more people than you.”
Chapter 4: The House of Debts
By late afternoon, half the street had gathered.
News traveled fast in poor neighborhoods, especially when black cars, rich men, and public disgrace arrived together. Women leaned from windows. Men stood near the curb. Children pretended to play while listening.
Gerald hated that most. Shame was unbearable to people who had pride but no conscience.
Tommy laid the documents across a wooden crate outside the door. Not for drama, but because he believed truth should be shown in daylight.
The boarding house records revealed months of forged signatures, withheld rent payments, stolen charity parcels, and false debts charged to widows and laborers. Gerald had been acting as an unofficial collector for the absentee landlord, skimming from everyone too poor to fight back.
Martha looked ill.