Struts slid her hand under The Gingerbread House box lid and snagged another cookie. It turned out to be a modern car shape with electric green icing and a squished front end. The word “Valiant” was painted across the front in leaf green lettering. “Pure artistry,” Struts said. “It deserves to be saved.” She slipped it into her desk drawer.

Olivia asked, “You mentioned a trust fund and some problem with Charlie?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. Not like me to get distracted, but your cookies . . . Anyway, my guy who worked at the bank, he dumped me, so he deserves to have his confidence betrayed. He told me Charles Critch Sr. set up this trust fund for both Charlene and Charlie. They each get a monthly stipend, a generous one, and then each inherits a big chunk of the fund at the age of twenty-five. That’s why Charlene opened that silly store; she just turned twenty-five. Charlie is twenty, so he’s got a while to wait, but I pay well. Also, he gets that monthly stipend, which I could retire on. So you’d think he’d be living well, have a nice apartment, all that. But he lives in one room, and the last two pay periods he asked me for an advance.”

“If Charlie was used to having lots of money,” Olivia said, “maybe he has trouble staying within his allowance.”

“Maybe.” Struts shrugged. “Lord knows credit card debt is a pit a lot of folks have slid down into, yours truly included.” She pushed aside an untidy collection of papers to reveal a hairbrush. While she repaired her ponytail, Struts said, “When Charlie started working here, about four months ago, he’d show up in nice clothes, then change into his work clothes in the gents.