The Bad Check

Summary

• Ethan is trying to unwind at home, his mind is occupied with the last name, Cassmore.
• He remembers seeing the name Daphne Cassmore on a bad check from the 1990s when he bought a grocery store, Shop-Way, where customers' failed checks were displayed as a public warning.
• Through subscription to an ancestry website, Ethan is able to connect Daphne Cassmore to Cameron, whom he was introduced to earlier. He deduces that Daphne is Cameron's mother.
• Ethan empathises with Daphne, feeling sorry she was publicly shamed for bouncing a check for such a measly amount.
• From interactions with Cameron, Ethan surmises that Cameron’s mother may have had a drug problem and abandoned him.
• Given the local gossip, Ethan thinks about informing Cameron about the rumors that his mother might have information about the disappearance of a teenage boy three decades ago.
• Ethan also worries about Tova, a friend to both him and Cameron, who is possibly looking for information on Daphne Cassmore due to rejecting the official story of her son, Erik's, death. Ethan wonders how Tova will react to finding out Cameron is Daphne’s son and contemplates telling her first.
• Ethan decides to invite Tova over for dinner despite it being late in the evening, as he knows she’s a night owl.