The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz Page A

array of expensive shoes and bags. I checked over the shoes and chose a brown pair of flats that were made in Italy. The price of the shoes could have been used to take a chunk out of the national debt, but I bought them anyway. I had the money because I rarely spent any. My own trust had barely been used and I had never touched the principal. I also got a stipend from the foundation, enough to support the average schoolteacher. I lived at home and had few expenses, so I could splurge occasionally.
    Since I don’t like to shop, my excursions are over quickly. We were out of there in half an hour. I wore the suit out of the store and carried the clothes I’d been wearing in the Bilzerian bag.
    â€œMajor improvement,” Tad said.
    I looked down at the green suit.
    â€œFeels good,” I said.
    â€œStill pretty conservative,” Tad said.
    â€œIt’s simple and elegant.”
    We picked up my car from the garage. I had the Mercedes 460SL that had belonged to my mother. It was ages old and Miranda hadn’t wanted it for that reason, but I liked it. The car was barely used and still reliable.
    Tad was impressed by the car. “This is awesome,” he said. There was that word again—awesome. Yes, it was a lovely car, but awesome ?
    We drove north toward Lynn. Tad navigated. I knew how to get to Lynn, but we needed a map to find the exact address. Lynn is a run-down city that is always preparing for a renaissance that never arrives. We followed the map to 61 Kennedy Ave. I found a parking spot on the street. Tad looked around when we got out.
    â€œYou want me to stay and watch the car?” he asked.
    â€œIt’ll be okay,” I said. I was none too sure about that, but I was willing to risk it. In minutes, we’d be ringing the doorbell and Jack Reilly would come to the door. He might slouch a little, have heavy brows, and a sexy smile. He’d be thrilled when I told him he’d won the fellowship, just as every winner had been thrilled. He’d be grateful and an instant connection would be made.
    Jack Reilly’s apartment was on the third floor. Tad and I walked up the stairs. Someone had clipped their toenails onto the carpet and the hall smelled like fried fish.
    We reached the door and I rang the bell. Nothing. We looked at each other and waited. Tad hit the bell again. There was movement inside.
    The door was opened by a woman. She had one sponge curler in her hair and an unlit cigarette dangling from between her lips. She was thin and wore gray sweatpants and a pink T-shirt with no bra underneath. Tad stared at her as if he’d never seen a woman before.
    â€œYes?” she asked.
    â€œWe’re looking for Jack Reilly,” I said.
    â€œYou the police?”
    â€œNo.” In my suit, I guess I might have been mistaken for a very well-dressed detective, but Tad was every inch the college kid. “Jack Reilly has won an award,” I said.
    â€œAre you Publishers Clearing House? Where’s Ed McMahon?” She poked her head into the hallway and looked around.
    â€œI am Jane Fortune of the Fortune Family Foundation. Jack applied for our fellowship.”
    â€œFellowship?”
    â€œIsn’t he a writer?” I was beginning to think something was terribly wrong. Maybe we had the wrong address.
    â€œI guess you could say that. He scribbles. Won’t even get a decent job.” The woman’s voice was nasal, not too different from my sister Miranda’s.
    â€œIs he here?” I asked.
    â€œHe took off. I don’t know where he is,” she said.
    â€œDo you have his phone number?”
    â€œI doubt he even has a phone. I had to beg him to get his own phone when he lived here. He likes to live off the grid.”
    â€œOff the grid?”
    â€œNo phone, no address. He wouldn’t want the IRS to be able to find him, not after all the years he’s forgotten to pay his taxes.” She hadn’t invited us in