Chapter 7
I thought Elijah had made a mistake.
"My mother?"
He answered quietly.
"Yes."
I stared at the wall.
"How much?"
He hesitated.
"I don't know the full amount."
My heart began pounding.
"Then what did you find?"
"Bank records. Transfers. Notes."
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.
Elijah continued.
"There's a payment to an account in Diane Carter's name."
My stomach tightened.
"From Vanessa?"
"From the loan proceeds."
I felt sick.
For weeks, Mom had insisted she was only helping Vanessa.
Only supporting her daughter.
Only trying to protect the family.
Now there were records suggesting she had received some of the money.
I took a breath.
"Elijah, don't send those documents around casually. Preserve them and give them to the investigators."
He agreed.
Then he hesitated.
"Nia?"
"Yes?"
"I don't know whether Vanessa understands how much damage she's caused."
I looked down.
"I hope she does someday."
He swallowed.
"She's scared."
I closed my eyes.
"So am I."
After the call, I sat quietly.
Marcus reached for my hand.
"What happened?"
I told him.
He listened without interrupting.
Then he sighed.
"This may explain why Diane has been defending Vanessa so aggressively."
I nodded.
But I didn't want to assume anything.
I had learned that records needed examination.
A transfer alone didn't explain its purpose.
Still, the possibility hurt.
My mother might not simply have known about the loan.
She might have benefited from it.
Camille received the information through the appropriate channels.
The investigation continued.
And slowly, the truth became clearer.
The supposed salon investment had involved a man named Calvin Price.
He claimed he could acquire and renovate a profitable beauty salon.
Vanessa and Mom had provided money.
Calvin promised enormous returns.
But the business documents contained inconsistencies.
The salon wasn't available for purchase under the terms he'd described.
And Calvin had apparently used money from several investors for unrelated expenses.
Vanessa had lost much of her inheritance.
Then she tried recovering it.
Instead of admitting the loss, she borrowed money.
She used my name and Marcus's information to make the application appear stronger.
The loan proceeds were divided.
Some went toward additional payments to Calvin.
Some were used to cover Vanessa's personal expenses.
And twelve thousand dollars went to Mom.
That was the transfer Elijah had discovered.
When investigators asked Diane about it, she claimed Vanessa had repaid an old family loan.
But the available records didn't clearly support that explanation.
I didn't know what to believe anymore.
My mother had always protected Vanessa.
Now I wondered whether she'd also been protecting herself.
One evening, I sat in Grandma Ruth's kitchen with Marcus.
I had started visiting the house every weekend.
It helped me feel close to Grandma.
I wanted to restore the garden.
Repair the porch.
Maybe turn the spare bedroom into a little library.
Marcus was measuring a damaged cabinet when I began crying.
He immediately put down his tools.
"Baby?"
I shook my head.
"I'm tired."
He sat beside me.
"I know."
I wiped my face.
"I'm tired of every new piece of information making my family look worse."
He took my hand.
"I know."
I looked at him.
"Do you think I'm a bad sister?"
His expression changed.
"No."
I swallowed.
"Vanessa is pregnant. She's scared. Mom says I'm making everything worse."
Marcus pulled me close.
"Nia, protecting your home and reporting wrongdoing doesn't make you cruel."
I cried harder.
He continued.
"You can care about Vanessa and still refuse to accept what she did."
I rested against him.
For a long time, we sat quietly.
Then he asked something.
"What would Grandma Ruth tell you?"
I smiled through tears.
"She'd tell me to stop letting people make me feel guilty for saying no."
Marcus laughed softly.
"Sounds like a wise woman."
I nodded.
"She was."
Two weeks later, Camille called.
The lender had completed an important part of its investigation.
The signatures on the disputed documents had not been verified as authorized by us.
The lender agreed to suspend collection activity against the disputed collateral while the remaining issues were resolved.
The property records had also been reviewed, and appropriate steps were being taken to correct the unauthorized filings.
I felt relief rush through me.
"So Grandma's house is safe?"
Camille answered carefully.
"The evidence strongly supports your ownership, and we're making progress in removing the improper claims."
I closed my eyes.
"Thank you."
She continued.
"There's another development."
My stomach tightened again.
"What?"
"The investigators have asked Diane to provide additional financial records."
I swallowed.
"Because of the twelve thousand?"
"Among other matters."
I nodded.
Then Camille said something that surprised me.
"Vanessa's attorney has contacted us."
I went still.
"What does she want?"
"She wants to discuss a formal acknowledgment of the forged signatures and possible restitution."
My heart pounded.
"Vanessa is admitting it?"
"Her attorney indicates she's prepared to accept responsibility for certain actions."
I stared toward Grandma's photograph.
For the first time, I felt something other than fear.
Hope.
But then Camille added one final sentence.
"Nia, your mother is still denying that she knew the documents were forged."
I closed my eyes.
And suddenly I understood.
May you like
Vanessa might finally be ready to tell the truth.
But Mom was still fighting to protect the story she'd created.
