Chapter 5
I could have told Daniel to shut the door.
Part of me wanted to. Vanessa’s foot had struck my belly. I still flinched when I heard someone approach from behind.
But she knew something.
“Speak from there,” I said.
Vanessa looked past Daniel at me. “Can I come in?”
“No.”
She swallowed. “Mom asked me to get the tea from a pharmacy near her showroom. She told me it was a special order.”
“Did you know what was in it?”
“I didn’t. Not at first.”
“When did you find out?”
“Last week.”
I waited.
Vanessa’s eyes moved toward the street. “I heard her talking to Dad. She said the first few cups hadn’t worked.”
My hand went to my stomach.
“You heard that and said nothing?”
“I thought she meant you were still arguing about the trust.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because after the ambulance left, she told Dad the doctors would find out soon.”
Daniel took one step toward her. I caught his arm.
“Tell Detective Alvarez,” I said.
“Mom says she’ll tell them I did it. The pharmacy order is in my name.”
“Why?”
“She said her business account was frozen and asked me to pick it up.”
There were so many things I wanted to ask. Why had Vanessa kicked me if she didn’t understand the plan? Why had she sent that message? Why had she stayed silent for days?
Instead, I said, “I’m calling the detective now.”
Vanessa’s face crumpled. “Will you tell her I came to you?”
“I’ll tell her exactly what happened.”
Detective Alvarez arrived within an hour. She spoke to Vanessa outside while Daniel stayed with me.
Through the window, I saw Vanessa cry. I had seen her cry in the yard too. I didn’t know what her tears meant anymore.
Afterward, Detective Alvarez came inside.
“Vanessa has given us the pharmacy details,” she said. “We’ll verify them.”
“She said she didn’t know.”
“I heard her account. We’ll compare it with the records and other evidence.”
I was grateful she didn’t ask me to decide whether my sister was telling the truth.
That evening, Mr. Bell stopped by with more news. The court had temporarily suspended Dad’s control over the disputed part of Grandma’s trust. An independent administrator would protect the money while the accounting continued.
“Can Mom still use it?” I asked.
“No.”
I felt relief, then immediately felt guilty for caring about the money while my daughter was at risk.
Mr. Bell must have seen it.
“Your grandmother wanted that money protected for a child,” he said. “It’s all right to make sure her wishes are followed.”
A week passed.
I went to appointments. Daniel worked from home. Ruby sent me messages about school and avoided mentioning my parents unless I asked.
Our daughter kept growing. At each scan, I watched the screen until someone pointed out her heartbeat.
Then Detective Alvarez called us in.
The pharmacy had a record of the purchase. Vanessa had collected the order, but the request had come from an account linked to Mom’s business. Security footage showed Mom entering the pharmacy two days before the first cup of tea.
They had also found messages between Mom and Dad about the trust review.
Detective Alvarez showed us one that Dad had sent.
If Bell gets those records when the baby is born, we’re finished.
Mom had replied: I have more time than you think.
My mouth went dry.
“There’s more,” the detective said. “Your father tried to contact the independent trust administrator yesterday. He claimed you had agreed to withdraw your concerns.”
“I didn’t.”
“We know. The administrator called Mr. Bell.”
Daniel reached for my hand.
“Are you arresting them?” I asked.
“We’re preparing the case carefully. The assault investigation concerning Vanessa is also active.”
I wanted everyone who had hurt us to face consequences. I also wanted them far away from me while the process moved forward.
Detective Alvarez helped us request an order keeping my parents and Vanessa from contacting me directly or coming to our home. A judge granted temporary protection while the investigation continued.
I read the order sitting at our kitchen table. Seeing their names printed beside mine made the whole thing feel painfully real.
Two days later, Ruby came over with her mother. She brought a small stuffed rabbit for the baby.
“I’ve been trying to think what Grandma would say,” Ruby told me.
“She’d probably tell me to eat.”
Ruby smiled. “And then she’d ask Daniel why the locks weren’t changed sooner.”
We laughed. It felt strange and wonderful.
After they left, I placed the rabbit on the nursery shelf.
Daniel came up behind me. “How are you?”
“I’m still scared.”
“I know.”
“But I’m glad Ruby came.”
He rested a hand gently on my shoulder. We stood together looking at the empty crib.
Then his phone rang.
It was Mr. Bell.
He had found a signed document among the trust records. It appeared to appoint my mother as the future guardian of our daughter’s inheritance.
May you like
The signature beneath it was mine.
I had never seen the document before.
