I found my sick stepfather shivering under a blanket, and on the table my mother had written, “It sucks, fix it before we get back.” I checked the family account and discovered expenses for cruises, casinos, and shopping while he barely had enough medicine.

At 8:30 AM on Sunday morning, the glittering, twelve-deck luxury cruise ship Caribbean Sovereign docked at Terminal B of the Port of Miami.

Walking down the grand glass-and-steel gangway, laughing loudly, were Evelyn, Mason, and Chloe.

Evelyn was wearing oversized designer sunglasses, a straw sunhat, and multiple silver bracelets, holding a luxury tote bag. Mason wore a custom linen shirt, talking loudly on his phone about his casino blackjack streak, while Chloe carried bags from high-end boutiques in Saint Thomas.

"Mason," Evelyn chuckled, adjusting her sunglasses. "Make sure you call the funeral home on the way to the airport. If Victor passed away while we were gone, we need to ensure the probate petition is filed before Maya tries to interfere."

"Don't worry, Mom," Mason laughed dismissively. "The old man couldn't even stand up when we left. With that diluted water, he probably didn't last forty-eight hours. The house and the pension are ours."

They strutted through the international customs checkpoint into the arrival lobby.

The moment their luggage cleared the turnstile, twelve armed officers stepped around the marble pillars.

Four uniformed agents from the Department of Homeland Security, two County Sheriff detectives, and six Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) special agents in tactical windbreakers formed an impenetrable perimeter around the family.

"Evelyn Vance, Mason Vance, Chloe Vance?" Senior Special Agent David Miller of NCIS announced, displaying his gold credentials.