She slid a piece of paper across the desk to me. It was a printed transaction record from their point of sale system. Date, March 6th. Time 2:47 p.m. Item multi-draw lottery ticket standard play customer account linked to Margaret Ellis Carver Street Columbus. The account linkage came from theiesy’s rewards program which I had been enrolled in for 9 years and which automatically logged my purchases.
My name on the record timestamped. I looked at that piece of paper for a long moment. I also have the security footage from that day. Ununice said quietly. The camera covers the lottery counter. You can see yourself buying it, Margaret. Clear as day. I had to press my hands flat on the desk to keep them from shaking. Ununice, I said.
I know, she said. She made copies of the transaction record. She told me she would preserve the security footage and provide a written statement if needed. She walked me to the door and held my hand for a moment at the threshold in the thin March sunlight and said nothing more because nothing more was needed.
I called James from the parking lot. I told him what I had. There was a pause on his end. Then Margaret, that’s what we needed. Come back to the office this afternoon. We’re filing a formal dispute with the Ohio Lottery Commission before the end of business today. I sat in my car for a moment before starting the engine.
Through the windshield, Columbus went about its Tuesday. People walking, a bus pulling away from the curb, a child trying to drag a dog in a direction the dog did not wish to go. Somewhere in my house, Derek and Cynthia were making plans with money that was not theirs. And somewhere in my purse, a printed receipt with my name and a timestamp was about to become the thing that unraveled all of it. I started the car.
I drove home. When I walked through the front door, Cynthia was in the hallway and her eyes moved to my purse with a quick involuntary flicker that she could not quite control. Nice errand, she asked. Just some things to take care of, I said, and smiled and walked past her to my bedroom.