Chapter 5
The name Whitmore Family Services sounded respectable.
That was what frightened me.
Vanessa had introduced the company as a financial planning service.
She told me Marcus wanted my retirement savings protected.
She said the business specialized in helping older people manage expenses.
I believed her.
Why wouldn't I?
She was my daughter-in-law.
She lived in a house worth more than anything I'd earned in my lifetime.
I assumed she understood money better than I did.
And Marcus was always telling me not to worry about finances.
So when Vanessa offered to help, I signed the forms she placed in front of me.
Now, sitting in my son's private sitting room, I couldn't stop thinking about those signatures.
"Marcus?"
He turned immediately.
"Yes, Mama?"
"I gave Vanessa some papers."
His expression changed.
"What papers?"
I swallowed.
"Bank statements. Retirement information. A copy of my identification."
Daniel looked toward Marcus.
My son took a slow breath.
"When?"
"About six months ago."
Marcus sat beside me.
"Did you sign anything?"
I nodded.
His jaw tightened.
"What did she tell you the forms were for?"
"Financial planning."
I looked down.
"She said you wanted me to have help."
Marcus closed his eyes.
Then whispered, "I never asked her to do that."
The room went silent.
I felt my stomach drop.
"But she said—"
"I know, Mama."
He reached for my hand.
"I believe you."
I stared at him.
He continued.
"We're going to review everything carefully."
I began crying.
"I should have read the papers."
He shook his head.
"You trusted someone who was supposed to be family."
I looked down.
That was the part I couldn't understand.
I'd treated Vanessa like a daughter.
When she and Marcus married, I gave her my mother's pearl earrings.
They weren't expensive.
But they were precious to me.
Vanessa smiled when she accepted them.
I thought she understood what they meant.
Now I wondered whether she'd thrown them away too.
Marcus asked Daniel to contact an independent attorney.
He also called his sister Renee.
She lived in Maryland and worked as an accountant.
Within minutes, she was on the phone.
"Marcus, what's going on?"
He explained what happened.
I heard her gasp.
Then she asked to speak to me.
"Mom?"
My throat tightened.
"Hello, baby."
She began crying.
"Oh, Mama."
I closed my eyes.
I hadn't heard Renee's voice in months.
Every time I called, the conversation was short.
She told me she was busy.
I'd thought she was growing distant too.
Now she explained something that shocked me.
"Mom, Vanessa told me you didn't want me interfering in your life."
I stared at the phone.
"What?"
"She said you were upset because I kept offering financial advice."
I shook my head.
"Renee, I never said that."
My daughter began crying harder.
"I know that now."
Marcus took the phone.
He spoke quietly with his sister.
Then arranged for her to visit the next morning.
After the call, he turned toward me.
"Mama, where are your retirement statements?"
I thought carefully.
"At home."
"Do you have online access?"
I shook my head.
"Vanessa said she would handle it."
His expression hardened.
Daniel looked at him.
"I'll arrange the banking appointment."
Marcus nodded.
Then he called Vanessa into the sitting room.
She appeared several minutes later.
Her red dress looked perfect.
But her expression was tense.
"Marcus, our guests are waiting."
He didn't move.
"Did you arrange my mother's financial paperwork?"
She hesitated.
Then smiled.
"Of course. I was helping."
I stared at her.
Marcus continued.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She shrugged.
"You were busy."
"Who authorized you to use Whitmore Family Services?"
Her smile faded.
"What?"
Marcus repeated the question.
Vanessa folded her arms.
"Your mother asked for assistance."
I shook my head.
"I asked you to help me understand my bills."
She glared at me.
"That's exactly what I did."
Marcus stepped forward.
"Then show me the records."
Vanessa laughed nervously.
"Right now?"
"Yes."
She looked toward the door.
"At your birthday party?"
He stared at her.
"You chose today to humiliate my mother. I didn't."
Her cheeks flushed.
Then she whispered, "You don't understand the arrangement."
My stomach tightened.
"What arrangement?" Marcus asked.
Vanessa said nothing.
He took out his phone.
"Then we'll have an independent professional review it."
Her expression changed.
"Marcus, don't."
He looked at her.
"Why?"
She swallowed.
"Because it could create unnecessary problems."
He stared at her.
"What problems?"
She looked toward me.
For one terrible moment, I thought she was going to blame me again.
Instead, she whispered, "Some of the money has already been invested."
My heart stopped.
"What money?"
Vanessa looked away.
Marcus took a step closer.
"Vanessa."
She began crying.
"I thought I could make it grow."
I felt cold.
"My retirement money?"
She didn't answer.
Marcus turned toward me.
His face looked devastated.
"Mama, how much did you have saved?"
I swallowed.
"About eighty-six thousand dollars."
The room became completely silent.
It wasn't a fortune to people like Vanessa.
But it was everything I had.
Money from thirty-five years of work.
Money I'd saved after paying for Marcus's education.
Money I kept for medical expenses and emergencies.
I looked at Vanessa.
"Where is it?"
She covered her face.
I repeated the question.
"Where is my money?"
Marcus gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
Vanessa finally whispered, "It's tied up in a property investment."
Daniel stared at her.
"What property?"
She hesitated.
Then said something that made my son go completely still.
"The lake house."
Marcus looked as though he couldn't breathe.
"What lake house?"
Vanessa looked away.
"The one I bought last spring."
I stared at her.
Last spring, Vanessa had shown me photographs of a beautiful vacation property.
She said Marcus had surprised her with it.
I remembered congratulating them.
Telling her how proud I was of my son.
May you like
Now my stomach turned.
Because I realized the house I'd admired might have been purchased with the savings I needed to survive.
