Chapter 4: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
For several seconds, nobody in the living room moved.
Dad stared at the name on the document as if the letters might rearrange themselves into something less impossible.
Daniel Brooks stood beside the coffee table, his leather folder tucked beneath one arm. Ashley had stopped crying. Linda, meanwhile, looked as though every drop of blood had drained from her face.
“That's not possible,” Dad whispered.
I leaned forward, trying to read the name upside down.
*Margaret Hayes.*
My grandmother's younger sister.
Aunt Maggie.
I remembered her vaguely from childhood photographs: a woman with silver hair, bright red lipstick, and a habit of carrying peppermint candies in her purse. She had attended my seventh birthday party, taught me how to play gin rummy, and disappeared from our lives shortly after Grandma became ill.
Linda had told us Aunt Maggie moved overseas and died in a car accident.
Dad had even sent flowers to a memorial service Linda claimed to have attended on our behalf.
“Margaret is dead,” Dad said.
“Linda told me she died six years ago.””
Daniel slowly closed his folder.
“No, Michael. Margaret is very much alive.””
Linda grabbed the back of the sofa.
“That's a lie.””
Daniel turned toward her.
“I spoke with Margaret last week. She asked me to confirm that Emily's trust remained protected.””
Dad looked at his wife.
“You told me her aunt was dead.””
“I was confused about the dates,” Linda stammered.
“It was a long time ago.””
“You showed me a death announcement!””
“I don't remember every detail!””
“You organized the memorial!””
Linda's mouth opened, but no words came out.
I felt something cold spread through my chest.
For years, I had believed I had lost almost everyone on my mother's side of the family. My mother had died when I was six. Grandma followed when I was sixteen. Aunt Maggie had supposedly died before I was old enough to understand what was happening.
Now I was discovering that someone had deliberately erased another person from my life.
“Why?”” I asked.
Linda turned toward me.
“Because your aunt was always interfering.””
“Interfering with what?””
“Your grandmother's decisions!””
Daniel placed both hands on the table.
“Margaret was named as the independent protector of Emily's trust. Eleanor chose her because she wanted someone outside the immediate household to oversee any changes to the beneficiary's assets.””
Dad stared at the document.
“And Linda knew about this?””
“She knew Margaret was involved in the estate planning,” Daniel replied.
“Whether she understood the full arrangement is another question.””
Linda suddenly stepped forward.
“I understood perfectly well that Eleanor never trusted me. She treated me like an outsider from the day Michael and I married.””
Dad shook his head.
“This isn't about your relationship with Eleanor.””
“Of course it is! She left everything to Emily and nothing to Ashley!””
“Because Ashley wasn't her granddaughter,” I said quietly.
Linda's face hardened.
“There it is. You finally said what you've always thought.””
“No. I said what is true.””
Ashley sat down heavily on the armchair.
“Mom, you told me Aunt Maggie died.””
Linda looked at her daughter.
“Stay out of this.””
“You told me there was nobody else who could challenge the trust!””
The words slipped out before Ashley could stop herself.
Dad slowly turned toward her.
“Challenge the trust?””
Ashley covered her mouth.
Linda lunged toward her.
“That's enough!””
Dad stepped between them.
“Don't you dare threaten her. Not in front of me.””
Linda stopped, but her hands curled into fists.
Daniel removed another paper from his folder.
“There's a more immediate issue. The document Emily never signed appears to transfer authority over her trust to a third party. If that document was submitted to the financial institution, someone may have attempted to gain access to the remaining assets.””
“How much remains?”” I asked.
Daniel looked at me carefully.
“Approximately two hundred and forty-seven thousand dollars, subject to confirmation of recent transactions and investment changes.””
My knees nearly buckled.
The thirty-two thousand dollars was only the beginning.
“Can we get it back?”” I whispered.
“We can pursue recovery of the money already withdrawn,” Daniel said.
“And we can take steps to prevent further unauthorized transfers. But I need to know exactly what was submitted, and to whom.””
Dad turned toward Linda.
“Give him every document you have.””
“I don't have anything.””
Daniel lifted the forged authorization.
“Then why was this copy found in an envelope prepared for Ashley?””
Linda said nothing.
Daniel continued, “The original appears to have been notarized. We need to verify that notarization, identify the person who submitted it, and determine whether anyone attempted to change the trust's ownership or control.””
Dad rubbed his face.
“Linda, did you try to take Emily's entire inheritance?””
“I was trying to help my daughter!””
“You forged Emily's signature?””
“I was going to pay it back!””
“That's not what I asked!””
Linda suddenly burst into tears.
“I couldn't stand watching Ashley struggle while Emily sat on a fortune she didn't even need yet!””
I stared at her.
“I needed it for college.””
“You could have gotten loans!””
“And Ashley couldn't have gotten a cheaper car?””
“She deserved something reliable!””
“So did my future!””
For the first time, Linda looked away without offering another excuse.
Daniel gathered the papers.
“I need to contact Margaret. She must be informed immediately.””
Dad nodded.
“Please do.””
Daniel paused at the doorway and looked back at me.
“Emily, your aunt has been waiting a long time to speak with you. She asked me to arrange a meeting when you were ready.””
My throat tightened.
“Why didn't she contact me herself?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Because someone had been intercepting her letters.””
Every eye in the room shifted toward Linda.
She shook her head furiously.
“You can't prove that!””
Daniel didn't argue.
He simply removed a final envelope from his folder and placed it in my hands.
My name was written across the front in my grandmother's unmistakable handwriting.
The envelope had been opened and resealed.
Inside was a short note.
My darling Emily, if you are reading this, then someone has finally uncovered what was done to you. Don't trust the story you've been told about my sister. And whatever happens, never sign away the house.
I read the final sentence twice.
Then I looked at Dad.
“What house?””
He stared at the letter.
Because Grandma's house had been sold shortly after her death.
May you like
Or at least, that was what Linda had told us.
And suddenly, I wasn't sure anything about the past six years was true.
