Chapter 5
I read my mother's letter until I could almost hear her voice.
She had written about a financial arrangement she had entered into years earlier.
She mentioned a loan, an unsigned agreement, and a man who had repeatedly visited the house while she was sick.
The scan was incomplete.
Whole paragraphs were missing.
But one sentence appeared near the bottom of the second page.
I never agreed to transfer ownership of my home.
My hands began to shake.
If my mother had never agreed to transfer the property, why had the ownership records changed?
And why had Denise told me the house was sold?
I forwarded the letter to Patricia.
She warned me not to assume that the document proved fraud, but she agreed that it justified further investigation.
She also asked whether I had any original papers that could help establish my mother's ownership.
I thought about the missing box.
Then I remembered something.
My mother had kept a small metal key inside an old jewelry box.
When I was younger, she told me it belonged to a safe-deposit box at the bank.
After she died, I had found the key among her belongings and put it in a kitchen drawer.
I had forgotten about it completely.
I searched the drawer.
The key was gone.
I checked the jewelry box.
Empty.
Then I remembered Denise helping me pack after the funeral.
She had insisted on handling the documents while I arranged the flowers and paid the final bills.
I sat down.
The pieces were beginning to form a picture, but the picture was still incomplete.
I needed Denise to tell me what she knew.
That evening, she finally called.
Her voice sounded exhausted.
"Renee, can we meet?"
"Where?"
"Somewhere public. Tomorrow."
I hesitated.
"Why not tell me over the phone?"
"Because I can't say everything on the phone."
My stomach tightened.
"Is Arthur there?"
"No."
"Is Mr. Collins?"
She didn't answer.
"Denise, I'm not coming unless you tell me you're safe."
For several seconds, the only sound was her breathing.
Then she whispered, "I'm not sure I am."
I closed my eyes.
"Where are you?"
"At home."
"Do you need me to call someone?"
"No. Please. Just meet me tomorrow."
I agreed to meet her at a busy coffee shop near Patricia's office.
I told Patricia about the conversation and arranged to contact her immediately afterward.
I also told Maya where I would be.
The next afternoon, Denise arrived fifteen minutes late.
She looked older than I remembered.
Her hair was pulled into a loose bun, and dark circles shadowed her eyes.
She sat opposite me and wrapped both hands around a cup she never drank from.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then she looked at me.
"Arthur Bell isn't just an investor."
"Who is he?"
"Someone Mom borrowed money from."
I stared at her.
"Why?"
"She needed money for the house. The roof was leaking, and the insurance company had refused to cover some of the damage. She thought she could pay him back."
"Did she sign an agreement?"
Denise looked down.
"She signed a loan document."
"Did she transfer the house?"
"No."
Her answer came quickly.
"She told me she never agreed to give him the property. But after she died, Arthur said the paperwork gave him ownership."
I felt a painful pressure behind my eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I thought I could fix it."
"How?"
"Arthur said he'd forgive the debt if I helped him obtain certain documents from the house."
"What documents?"
"Mom's original financial records. The papers showing what she had borrowed and what she'd paid back."
I stared at her.
"So you took the box."
She began crying.
"Yes."
I pulled my chair back slightly.
"You stole our mother's papers?"
"I was trying to protect the house!"
"By helping the man who claimed to own it?"
"I thought he had the legal right to it. He showed me documents. He told me Mom had signed everything."
"Then why did you hide it from me?"
Her face crumpled.
"Because I was afraid you'd find out I'd already signed something."
My heart pounded.
"What did you sign?"
Denise covered her mouth.
"An agreement saying I'd cooperate with the transfer."
I stared at her.
She had signed away her cooperation without understanding the full consequences.
"And the apartment?"
She looked at me.
"Arthur wanted your lease information. He wanted to know whether you had any legal documents connecting you to Mom's estate."
"Why?"
"Because Mom left a letter saying you were supposed to receive something."
My entire body went still.
"What something?"
"I don't know. I never saw the complete letter."
"Denise."
"I swear."
I searched her face.
For the first time in years, I believed she was telling me part of the truth.
But I also knew she was still hiding something.
"What about Mr. Collins?"
"Arthur offered him money to help get you out of the apartment. He said once you were gone, nobody would question why the property records had changed."
My stomach turned.
"And Maya?"
Denise looked away.
"I didn't know he was frightening her."
"Your name was on the document."
"I signed the first agreement before I knew what Arthur planned to do. When I realized he wanted to use your daughter to pressure you, I tried to stop him."
"How?"
"I told Mr. Collins to leave her alone."
I stared at her.
"You told him to leave her alone? You should never have allowed him near her in the first place."
"I know."
Her voice broke.
"I know, Renee."
I wanted to forgive her.
A part of me desperately wanted to believe that my sister had made terrible choices out of fear rather than cruelty.
But forgiveness couldn't replace accountability.
I leaned forward.
"Do you have proof of what you're telling me?"
She nodded.
"I kept copies of the messages Arthur sent me."
"Where?"
"In my email."
"Then send them to Patricia."
Denise looked frightened.
"He'll know."
"Let him know."
"You don't understand what he's capable of."
"Neither did Maya when he threatened her."
My sister flinched.
For a moment, I saw genuine shame in her eyes.
Then she reached into her purse and placed a small flash drive on the table.
"I copied the original documents before Arthur took the box."
I stared at it.
"What's on here?"
"Everything I have."
I took the drive.
Then Denise grabbed my wrist.
"Renee, there's one more thing."
I looked at her.
She swallowed hard.
"Arthur knows about Maya's savings account. He asked Mr. Collins to find out whether she had money set aside for college."
My blood ran cold.
Maya had worked part-time at a grocery store for nearly a year to save for school.
Every dollar represented something she had earned herself.
"Why would he care about her money?"
Denise's eyes filled with tears.
"Because Arthur told me that once your apartment was cleared, he intended to claim that you had abandoned the property and everything inside it."
I pulled my wrist free.
"He isn't taking a single thing from us."
Denise nodded.
Then she whispered the final piece of information.
"Renee, Arthur isn't just trying to get Mother's house."
May you like
She leaned closer.
"He's trying to make sure you never discover what she left you."
