Chapter 5: The Grandmother My Father Erased
"Grandma?""
The word escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
My grandmother smiled.
"Oh, my darling girl.""
I ran toward her.
She opened her arms, and I dropped to my knees beside her wheelchair.
Her hands felt thinner than I remembered, but her embrace was unmistakable.
I hadn't seen her in four years.
My father had told me she moved to Florida after suffering a stroke. When I asked for her phone number, he said she needed peace and quiet.
Vanessa had even removed her photograph from the living room.
Now she was sitting in front of me.
Alive.
And crying.
"I thought you were in Florida," I whispered.
Grandma Margaret brushed my hair away from my face.
"Your father told you that?""
I nodded.
She looked past me at Richard.
"Of course he did.""
My father stepped forward.
"Mother, this isn't the time.""
Grandma's expression changed.
"You don't get to decide when I speak anymore, Richard.""
He stopped.
My grandmother turned toward the officers.
"I have documents that belong to this investigation.""
She placed the folder on her lap.
"I kept copies of everything my son tried to hide.""
Vanessa shook her head.
"This is a family matter.""
Grandma looked directly at her.
"You stopped being family the day you helped my son destroy his wife's life.""
Vanessa's face flushed.
"That's a horrible thing to say.""
"Is it? Then explain why you transferred money from my granddaughter's education account.""
My blood ran cold.
"What education account?""
Grandma opened the folder.
"Your grandfather established a trust for you before he died. It was supposed to pay for your education, your first home, and anything you needed to build an independent life.""
I stared at the papers.
The account balance was printed near the top.
$482,600.
I looked at my father.
"Where is it?""
He rubbed his face.
"Maya, listen—"
"Where is my money?""
Grandma answered before he could.
"Most of it was transferred into several accounts controlled by Vanessa.""
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
"That money was used for household expenses!""
Grandma raised an eyebrow.
"Your household expenses included a vacation property in the Hamptons?""
Vanessa went silent.
My mother took another document from the folder.
"And a luxury apartment in Manhattan?""
I stared at her.
"Mom, you knew about this?""
"I suspected it. I didn't have the complete records until recently.""
Grandma pointed to a line on the statement.
"Look at the last withdrawal.""
The date was only six months earlier.
I felt sick.
"That was my college fund.""
Richard finally spoke.
"I was going to put it back.""
"With what?"" I asked.
He looked at me.
"Things became complicated.""
I laughed, but there was no humor in it.
"You stole from me and called it complicated?""
He reached for my hand.
I pulled away.
"Don't.""
The word seemed to hit him harder than a scream.
My grandmother opened another section of the folder.
"There is something else you need to know, Maya.""
She removed a letter with an official seal.
"After Angela disappeared, I tried to obtain guardianship of you. I had already been named as your backup guardian in your grandfather's will.""
My father shook his head.
"Mother, stop.""
Grandma ignored him.
"Your father told the court that I was medically incapable of caring for you. He submitted a doctor's report claiming I had advanced dementia.""
I stared at her.
"But you don't have dementia.""
"No, sweetheart. I had a minor stroke. I was recovering, and I needed assistance with certain things. But I was perfectly capable of making decisions.""
"Then why didn't you tell me?""
Her eyes filled.
"Because I was told you had been moved out of state. Every time I tried to contact your school, they said I wasn't authorized to receive information.""
I looked toward Vanessa.
She was staring at the folder.
For once, she had nothing to say.
Grandma continued.
"I hired an attorney. But before we could challenge the guardianship order, someone sent me a letter threatening to have me declared incompetent permanently if I continued.""
My father closed his eyes.
"That wasn't me.""
Grandma slowly lifted her chin.
"Then who signed it, Richard?""
She slid the letter across the table.
The signature at the bottom wasn't my father's.
It was Vanessa's.
The officers exchanged glances.
One of them carefully placed the letter into an evidence folder.
"Ma'am, we'll need to discuss this separately.""
Vanessa's voice rose.
"You're all twisting everything! I was protecting Richard!""
My mother stepped closer.
"From what? Accountability?""
Vanessa pointed at her.
"You ruined my life!""
Angela's voice became quiet.
"No. You built your life on someone else's suffering.""
Vanessa turned toward me.
"Maya, please. You know I took care of you. I was there when you had nightmares.
I packed your lunches. I attended every school meeting.""
I looked at her.
For a moment, I remembered the small things.
The sandwiches.
The birthday cakes.
The times she sat beside my bed when I was sick.
Then I remembered the letters I had written to my mother.
The ones that never reached her.
And the birthday cards I had received with my mother's handwriting copied onto them.
I suddenly remembered something.
"Vanessa?""
She swallowed.
"What?""
"Every year, you gave me a birthday card and said Mom had sent it.""
My mother turned toward me.
"She did?""
I nodded.
"She always wrote the same thing. 'I love you more than all the stars.''"
My mother's face crumpled.
"That was our sentence.""
She had told me that when I was little.
It was something only the two of us knew.
I reached into my purse and pulled out the birthday card I'd kept from my eighteenth birthday.
"Was this from you?""
My mother took it.
She examined the handwriting.
Then she shook her head.
"No, baby.""
I looked at Vanessa.
Her silence answered everything.
One of the officers asked her to come outside.
This time, she didn't resist.
But as she passed my father, she leaned close and whispered something.
I couldn't hear all of it.
Only three words.
"You promised me.""
Richard's face went white.
And when the officers escorted Vanessa through the doors, my father suddenly grabbed the folder from the table.
"Nobody understands," he shouted.
"If she tells you what really happened that night, you'll never forgive me!""
My mother stood completely still.
May you like
Then she looked at me.
"Richard, I think it's time.""
