Chapter 6
The adults thought I was asleep when they started talking about Grandpa's medicine.
I wasn't.
I lay beneath Aunt Renee's yellow quilt, holding Daisy against my chest.
The hallway light spilled beneath the bedroom door.
I could hear Uncle Thomas speaking quietly.
"There was an early refill."
Renee asked, "Does that mean someone changed his medicine?"
Thomas answered, "We don't know."
I pulled the blanket higher.
Grandpa had taken several pills every day.
He kept them in a plastic organizer beside his bed.
Sometimes he forgot whether he'd taken them.
Grandma usually handled the bottles.
But near the end, he asked me not to touch them.
He said medicine was grown-up business.
I never did.
Now I wondered whether something had happened.
I heard Arthur's voice.
He had arrived after dinner.
"Don't jump to conclusions. We need the physician's review and the pharmacy records."
Thomas sighed.
"I know."
Then Renee asked whether they should contact the authorities.
Arthur said they should report any evidence of possible medication tampering or improper access.
I pressed Daisy against my chest.
I was scared.
But I also remembered something.
The night before Grandpa went to the hospital, he asked Grandma a question.
"Where's the old bottle?"
She told him she'd thrown it away.
He looked confused.
Then he asked whether the doctor had changed his prescription.
Grandma said yes.
I remembered because Grandpa looked worried afterward.
He told me to fetch his reading glasses.
When I returned, he was staring at the medicine organizer.
I sat up in bed.
My heart pounded.
I climbed down.
Opened the door.
And walked into the living room.
The adults stopped talking.
Renee stood.
"Maya?"
I looked at Arthur.
"Grandpa asked about an old medicine bottle."
His expression changed.
"What?"
I told them what I remembered.
The question.
Grandma's answer.
Grandpa's confusion.
Arthur listened carefully.
He didn't interrupt.
When I finished, he asked whether I knew what medicine it was.
I shook my head.
"No."
"Did you see anyone put anything into his pills?"
"No."
He nodded.
"Thank you for telling us."
I looked at him.
"Did Grandma hurt Grandpa?"
His face softened.
"We don't know, sweetheart."
My eyes filled.
I wanted him to say no.
I wanted everything to be simple.
But he didn't lie.
He simply told me they would investigate carefully.
Renee hugged me.
Then walked me back to bed.
She stayed until I fell asleep.
The next morning, the adults took the medication concerns to the appropriate authorities.
I didn't know all the details.
But I knew Grandpa's doctor was reviewing his records.
The pharmacy was checking refill information.
And investigators wanted to speak with people who had cared for him.
I felt frightened.
But nobody asked me to solve anything.
That helped.
Arthur and Renee reminded me that it was the adults' responsibility.
I was allowed to be nine.
I was allowed to cry.
Play.
Go to school.
And miss my grandfather.
For the next few weeks, life felt strange.
I continued attending school.
My teacher, Mrs. Jackson, gave me extra time when I couldn't concentrate.
My best friend, Sophie, sat beside me at lunch.
Sometimes I cried for no reason.
Other times, I laughed and then felt guilty.
Dr. Brooks told me both feelings were normal.
She said grief didn't follow a straight line.
I liked that.
Because some days I felt brave.
Other days I wanted to hide beneath the covers.
One Friday afternoon, Arthur called Renee with news.
The financial investigators had traced several transfers from my mother's fund.
The money had gone to companies connected to Calvin.
Some payments were described as consulting fees.
Others were listed as investment expenses.
But the records didn't show how those transactions benefited me.
Arthur said that raised serious concerns.
Renee asked whether the money could be recovered.
He said some accounts had been identified and steps were being taken to preserve available funds.
I listened quietly.
Then asked, "Will I get my mother's money back?"
Renee smiled gently.
"We hope so."
I nodded.
Then asked, "Can we use some of it to help children who don't have grandparents?"
Renee looked surprised.
"Why?"
I looked down.
"Because Grandpa helped me."
Her eyes filled.
She hugged me.
"That's a beautiful thought."
I didn't know anything about trusts or lawsuits.
But I knew how it felt to be scared.
I knew how it felt to think you had nowhere to go.
And I didn't want other children to feel that way.
A few days later, Uncle Thomas visited.
He brought the silver bracelet I'd been missing.
I gasped.
"Grandpa's bracelet!"
I ran toward him.
He smiled sadly.
"Arthur found it in a box of belongings that had been removed from the house."
I held it carefully.
The charm was shaped like a little sun.
On the back were two words.
MY SUNSHINE.
I began crying.
Thomas knelt.
"Your grandfather loved you so much."
I nodded.
"I know."
He helped fasten the bracelet around my wrist.
Then I hugged him.
For the first time since the funeral, I felt like I had recovered something that belonged to my life before everything changed.
That evening, Renee received another call.
This time, it was from Detective Walker, the investigator assigned to the financial case.
Renee listened for a long time.
Then her expression changed.
"Are you sure?"
She looked toward me.
Then turned away.
When she ended the call, I asked what happened.
She hesitated.
Then said, "Calvin has been questioned."
I nodded.
"Did he tell the truth?"
Renee took a slow breath.
"He admitted that some money was moved without proper authorization."
My heart tightened.
"Did Grandma know?"
Renee looked sad.
"He's saying she did."
I stared at my bracelet.
I didn't want to believe it.
But I remembered Grandma at the funeral.
Her angry face.
Her grip on my wrist.
The way she wanted me gone.
I thought about Grandpa's blue ledger.
The wax-sealed envelope.
And the letter addressed to Grandma.
I looked up.
"Will she have to tell the truth too?"
Renee nodded.
"Yes."
I felt tears rising.
Then she hugged me.
For a long moment, I let myself cry.
I didn't know what would happen to Grandma.
But I knew something important.
Grandpa hadn't imagined the missing money.
He hadn't been confused.
He had found something wrong.
And he had worked to protect me.
That night, Arthur called again.
He had received the medical review.
The physician had found no evidence that the medication irregularity caused Grandpa's death.
His passing was consistent with his documented heart disease.
I cried when Renee told me.
Not because it made losing him easier.
But because I'd been afraid someone had deliberately hurt him.
Now the doctors were saying the evidence didn't support that fear.
Still, the financial investigation continued.
And the next morning, Arthur arrived with a sealed court document.
He sat beside me.
Then smiled gently.
"Maya, I have important news."
My heart jumped.
"What?"
"The court has approved temporary arrangements to protect the house and your trust while the estate matters are resolved."
I stared at him.
"Does that mean I can go home?"
Arthur looked toward Renee.
Then back at me.
"We're working toward that."
My eyes filled.
He continued.
"And there's another part of your grandfather's plan we haven't discussed."
I frowned.
"What part?"
Arthur opened a folder.
"Marcus named someone to help raise you if he couldn't."
My heart pounded.
"Who?"
He smiled gently.
Then turned toward Aunt Renee.
I stared at her.
May you like
And suddenly, I realized Grandpa had planned not only where I would live.
He had planned who would love and protect me when he was gone.
