Chapter 11: What Happened at the Hospital
Derek refused to explain until we were somewhere private.
Margaret suggested returning to her office.
Once we arrived, she closed the blinds and placed a digital recorder on the desk.
"You don't have to answer anything you're uncomfortable with," she told Derek.
"But if you're going to make a statement, it needs to be accurate.""
Derek nodded.
I sat across from him.
"What happened that night?""
He looked at his hands.
"Grandma was in Room 214. She had been asking for you all afternoon.""
My throat tightened.
"Why didn't anyone call me?""
"Dad wouldn't allow it. He told the nurses you weren't available.""
"I was two hours away.""
"I know.""
Derek swallowed.
"At around eight, Dad arrived with Uncle Peter. Mom was already there.""
"What did they want?""
"Grandma had an envelope. She told Dad it contained the original will and the proof of his unauthorized financial transactions.""
I leaned forward.
"She already had the original will?""
"Yes. She wanted to make sure it went to Margaret.""
"What did Dad do?""
Derek's voice dropped.
"He demanded it.""
I felt cold.
"Did she give it to him?""
"No. She told him he had no right to touch her belongings.""
He looked toward Margaret.
"That's when Peter started talking about the property transfer.""
Margaret's expression tightened.
"Be specific.""
"Peter said the deed had already been recorded. He told Grandma there was nothing she could do.""
"And what did she say?""
Derek closed his eyes.
"She said, 'A forged document doesn't become the truth because you put a stamp on it.''"
I pressed my fingers against my lips.
Derek continued.
"Dad grabbed the envelope. Grandma tried to pull it away. Her arm was weak, and she started coughing.""
"Did anyone call a nurse?""
"Mom did.""
He paused.
"But Dad told her not to.""
My stomach turned.
"What?""
"He said Grandma was fine. He told Mom not to make a scene.""
"Was she fine?""
Derek shook his head.
"Absolutely not. She was struggling to breathe.""
I stood up.
"Why didn't you call for help?""
His eyes filled.
"Because I was scared.""
I looked at him.
"She was your grandmother.""
"I know!""
His voice cracked.
"I know, Avery. I've hated myself for that night.""
The room fell silent.
Margaret spoke carefully.
"Did medical personnel eventually enter the room?""
"Yes. A nurse came in after Mom pressed the call button again. They asked everyone to leave.""
"Did your father leave?""
"No. He argued with them.""
Derek rubbed his forehead.
"Security had to escort him into the hallway.""
I felt sick.
"And Grandma?""
"She was transferred for further treatment. I stayed outside until the doctor came.""
"What did the doctor say?""
"That her condition was critical.""
I covered my mouth.
"Why didn't you call me?""
Derek lowered his head.
"Because Dad told me you'd destroy the family if you got involved.""
I let out a shaky breath.
"She was dying, Derek.""
"I know.""
"And he still kept me away.""
Derek began crying.
Margaret allowed the silence to settle.
Then she asked, "What happened to the original will afterward?""
Derek reached into his bag.
"Grandma gave it to me after Dad left the room.""
He paused.
"She told me to find Avery.""
I stared at him.
"Did she say anything else?""
He nodded.
"She said, 'Tell her I wasn't angry. Tell her I knew she would come if anyone let her.''"
My chest tightened.
I turned away.
For six years, I had carried the guilt of not being there when Grandma died.
My parents had allowed me to believe I had failed her.
But she had known the truth.
She had known I wanted to come.
I wiped my face.
"Did Dad know she had given you the will?""
"Not at first. But when she died, he searched my car.""
"Did he find it?""
"No. I had hidden it inside an old school textbook at my apartment.""
I looked at him.
"You kept the original will in a textbook?""
He gave a miserable half-smile.
"It was the only place Dad never bothered looking.""
Margaret opened her laptop.
"There's one more matter. We need to understand the false death certificate.""
Derek nodded.
"I can explain part of that.""
We all turned toward him.
"After Grandma died, Dad told Peter to arrange the paperwork. He said the earlier date would make everything easier.""
"Easier how?"" Margaret asked.
Derek hesitated.
"Because Dad had already submitted the deed. If Grandma was officially dead before the deed date, he thought nobody could challenge her statements about it.""
Margaret exchanged a look with me.
"Did you personally hear him say that?""
"Yes. He said the hospital records could be dealt with later.""
My stomach twisted.
"Are you saying Dad arranged to change the death certificate?""
"I don't know exactly how it happened. But Peter told him he had someone at the funeral home who could fix the paperwork.""
Margaret wrote something down.
"We'll need to verify that through official records.""
Derek nodded.
Then he unlocked his phone.
"I saved another recording.""
He played it.
Dad's voice filled the office.
"Peter, the date has to stay March fourteenth.""
My uncle answered:
"Richard, the medical records are going to contradict it.""
Dad replied:
"Then keep those records out of the estate file. Nobody needs to see them.""
A chair scraped.
Peter spoke again.
"And what about Avery?""
My father's answer made my stomach turn.
"She believes whatever Linda tells her. She won't question a thing.""
Then Mom's voice appeared.
"Richard, what if she comes back asking about June?""
Dad laughed.
"By then, Derek will have the house, and Avery will be too busy paying off the loan to do anything.""
The recording ended.
I stared at the phone.
Mom knew.
She had known exactly what they were doing.
She had watched me make payments every month.
She had asked me to keep supporting them the morning they threw me out.
And she had never intended to tell me the truth.
Margaret immediately asked Derek to preserve the recording and provide a copy through the appropriate legal process.
Then she called an investigator who had been reviewing the property records.
Twenty minutes later, he returned her call.
Margaret listened quietly.
Then she looked at us.
"The county has located the original filing receipt for the disputed deed.""
I leaned forward.
"What does it show?""
"The deed was submitted on March seventeenth, six years ago.""
"Three days after the death date on the certificate.""
"Correct. But there's a problem.""
"What problem?""
Margaret turned her laptop toward me.
The deed had been notarized on March 17.
The notary's records showed that the acknowledgment was entered on March 26.
Two days after Grandma's actual death.
My blood ran cold.
"Then the notarization was backdated.""
"It appears that way.""
I looked at Derek.
He had gone pale.
Margaret continued.
"And there's another document attached to the filing.""
She enlarged the scanned page.
It was a statement claiming I had personally appeared before Peter Bennett to sign the transfer.
The date was March 17.
But the document included an identification number belonging to a passport I hadn't owned in years.
Margaret leaned back.
"This wasn't a simple clerical mistake. Someone assembled a false record using outdated personal information.""
My phone rang.
Mom.
I answered.
She sounded breathless.
"Avery, please. We need to talk.""
"About what?""
"Your father has made a terrible mistake.""
I closed my eyes.
"Only one?""
She started crying.
"Please don't be cruel.""
"Where were you when Grandma asked for me?""
Silence.
Then she whispered:
"I tried to protect you.""
I almost dropped the phone.
"From what?""
"Your father.""
I stood up.
"Then why did you help him?""
Her breathing became uneven.
"Because he said if I didn't cooperate, Derek would go to prison.""
I looked at my brother.
He stared at me.
Mom continued.
"There's something Richard never told you about the loan, Avery.""
"What?""
"The $310,000 wasn't the first money he took.""
I froze.
"How much was there before that?""
She began sobbing.
"Your father had been using Grandma's trust for years.""
My stomach tightened.
"How much?""
May you like
Then Mom whispered a figure that made Margaret immediately stop writing.
"Almost seven hundred thousand dollars.""
