Chapter 8
Richard Lawson was nothing like I expected.
I imagined a ruthless businessman.
A man who would defend Diane because he had already given her money.
Instead, Richard arrived at Samuel's office looking worried and exhausted.
He was in his early fifties and wore a simple navy suit.
He carried a thick folder.
"Mr. Brooks," he said, offering his hand. "I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstances."
I shook it.
"Did you know Diane Williams had no authority to sell my family's property?"
His face tightened.
"No."
He placed the folder on the table.
"She told me she was acting on behalf of the heirs."
Samuel leaned forward.
"What documentation did she provide?"
Richard opened the folder.
"A letter of authorization. Copies of estate records. And correspondence from someone claiming to represent the family."
He slid the papers across the table.
I recognized my mother's forged signature immediately.
There it was again.
Evelyn Brooks.
Except my mother never signed her name with a looping capital E.
She had always written it with a sharp downward stroke.
The signature was wrong.
Richard looked devastated when I explained.
"I never would have given her money if I'd known."
"Why did you pay her twenty-five thousand dollars?" I asked.
"She called it a refundable exclusivity deposit. She said other buyers were interested and that the family needed immediate funds while the estate was finalized."
Samuel examined the agreement.
"And the money went directly to Diane?"
"Yes."
"Not an attorney's trust account?"
Richard shook his head.
"I know. It was foolish."
He rubbed his face.
"She seemed convincing. She had documents. She knew details about the property."
I thought about my mother's stolen papers.
"She knew those details because she went through my mother's belongings."
Richard looked genuinely shocked.
"I'm sorry."
I believed him.
He had been deceived too.
Samuel asked whether Richard would cooperate with the investigation.
"Completely," Richard said. "I want my money back, but more importantly, I don't want anyone else getting hurt."
After he left, Samuel looked at me.
"We now have multiple documents that appear to contain unauthorized signatures."
"Will Diane be arrested?"
"That's for investigators and prosecutors to determine. We can submit the evidence and cooperate."
I nodded.
I wanted justice.
But I wanted it done properly.
No threats.
No revenge that could hurt innocent people.
Just the truth.
That afternoon, I met Nia at a small café near the hotel.
She had asked to speak privately.
When I arrived, she was already sitting at a corner table.
There was no expensive jewelry.
No designer handbag.
She looked like someone whose world had finally stopped making sense.
"Thank you for coming," she said.
I sat down.
"What did you want to tell me?"
She pushed an envelope across the table.
I opened it.
Inside were bank statements, screenshots of messages, and copies of financial documents.
"What's this?"
"Everything I could find."
I looked at her.
"Everything?"
She nodded.
"Mom asked me to delete our messages. I didn't."
I studied the screenshots.
Diane had instructed Nia to withdraw money.
Send financial statements.
Avoid speaking to me.
And pressure my mother into leaving.
One message made my blood boil.
"Get Evelyn out before Marcus discovers the paperwork. She asks too many questions."
I stared at the screen.
"Nia, you saw this?"
She lowered her head.
"Yes."
"And you still told my mother to pack?"
Tears filled her eyes.
"I convinced myself Mom was exaggerating."
I shook my head.
"That message is clear."
"I know."
For the first time, she didn't argue.
She simply accepted the truth.
"I was cruel," she whispered. "And cowardly."
I looked away.
Those were words I'd been waiting to hear.
But they couldn't erase the damage.
Nia reached into her handbag.
She took out a small velvet pouch.
Inside was her wedding ring.
She placed it on the table.
"I don't expect you to forgive me."
I stared at the ring.
Seven years earlier, I had slipped it onto her finger in a garden surrounded by family and friends.
My mother had cried during our vows.
Diane had smiled for every photograph.
I had believed we were beginning a beautiful life.
Now everything felt broken.
"Why are you giving me this?" I asked.
"Because I don't deserve to wear it while I'm asking you to trust me again."
I studied her.
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to tell the investigators everything."
"Even if your mother gets into trouble?"
Nia swallowed.
"Yes."
I nodded slowly.
"That won't be easy."
"Nothing about this is easy anymore."
She wiped her cheeks.
"But I'm tired of hurting people to keep her happy."
I left the café feeling older than I had that morning.
Part of me wanted to hold Nia.
Another part wanted never to see her again.
I didn't know which feeling would win.
When I returned home, my mother was sitting on the back porch.
She was holding my father's old watch.
"Come sit with me," she said.
I sat beside her.
For a while, we watched the sunlight fade behind the trees.
"Did you see Nia?" she asked.
"Yes."
"How is she?"
"Not well."
Mom nodded.
"I'm sorry."
I looked at her.
"After everything she did to you, you're sorry for her?"
My mother smiled sadly.
"I don't have to approve of someone's actions to recognize their pain."
I stared at her.
She continued.
"But recognizing pain doesn't mean inviting cruelty back into your home."
I felt tears rise.
"When did you become so wise?"
She laughed softly.
"Probably around the time you started climbing furniture and refusing to listen."
I laughed too.
For the first time in days, it felt natural.
Then my phone rang.
Samuel.
I answered immediately.
"Marcus, Diane has been contacted by investigators."
I sat straighter.
"What happened?"
"She's refusing to cooperate voluntarily. But we have provided the documents and witness information."
"All right."
"There's something else."
I braced myself.
"Richard Lawson just received a threatening message."
"From Diane?"
"Apparently."
"What did it say?"
Samuel hesitated.
"It said that if he tried to recover his money, she'd make sure Evelyn Brooks lost everything."
I looked at my mother.
She was still turning my father's watch in her hands.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I stood.
"Samuel, what do we do?"
"We preserve the message, report the threat, and take precautions."
I ended the call.
Mom looked up.
"Marcus?"
I walked toward her.
"Come inside, Mom."
She frowned.
"What's wrong?"
I gently took her hand.
"Nothing you're facing alone."
But that night, as I checked the locks and activated the security system, I knew something had changed.
Diane wasn't merely trying to save herself anymore.
May you like
She was threatening the person I loved most.
And I wasn't going to ignore it.
