Chapter 6
I carried the metal box back to Raymond's office the next morning.
Marcus drove.
I sat beside him holding the red envelope like it might disappear if I loosened my grip.
I had barely slept.
The document inside showed signatures from Caroline Bennett, Principal Bennett, and Diane Brooks.
It referenced property interests I'd never heard about.
And the date was only three weeks before Caroline's death.
I couldn't stop thinking about it.
At the office, Olivia examined the agreement carefully.
Raymond read every page.
Then looked at me.
"Nia, we need to verify where this came from and whether it's authentic."
I nodded.
"Mrs. Greene said my mother gave it to her."
He wrote that down.
Olivia pointed toward a section near the bottom.
"This appears to authorize Diane to manage certain assets temporarily."
My stomach tightened.
"Which assets?"
She read the listed properties.
One was an apartment building.
Another was a small commercial lot.
Then she stopped.
Her expression changed.
"What?" I asked.
She looked at Raymond.
"The apartment building is the same property listed in Evelyn's estate."
I felt cold.
"How?"
Raymond leaned forward.
He examined the page.
Then frowned.
"That needs investigation."
I stared at him.
"Was my mother supposed to own it?"
Olivia shook her head.
"We don't know yet."
She continued reviewing.
Then pointed toward another paragraph.
"This document refers to a transfer that may have occurred after Caroline's death."
My heart pounded.
"Can that happen?"
Raymond answered carefully.
"An estate can transfer property after someone's death, but it must follow the law and valid instructions."
I looked down.
"Then why would Diane be involved?"
He sighed.
"That's what we need to establish."
For weeks, I'd hoped one document would explain everything.
Instead, every answer opened another question.
I felt exhausted.
Marcus noticed.
"Let's take a break."
I shook my head.
"No."
He looked at me.
"Nia."
I swallowed.
"I've waited twenty years."
My voice cracked.
"I can't stop now."
He nodded gently.
"We're not stopping. We're just making sure you can breathe."
I closed my eyes.
Then nodded.
We stepped into the hallway.
Marcus handed me a bottle of water.
I took a few sips.
Then leaned against the wall.
"I hate this."
He nodded.
"I know."
"I hate that everyone knew something except me."
His expression softened.
"I know."
I looked at him.
"Why didn't anyone come for me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then said, "Some people may have been afraid. Some may have been selfish. Others may genuinely not have known."
I nodded slowly.
"But none of that was your fault."
Tears filled my eyes.
I looked away.
Marcus continued.
"You were a child."
My voice broke.
"I know."
He touched my shoulder.
"You deserved protection."
I began crying.
For years, I'd blamed myself for being unwanted.
For being difficult.
For not being lovable enough.
Now I was beginning to understand how wrong those beliefs were.
I hadn't caused the adults around me to fail.
They had made choices.
And I had lived with the consequences.
When we returned to the office, Olivia had new information.
She'd located older property records showing that Caroline had inherited an interest in the apartment building from a family trust.
After her death, the property became part of a complicated settlement involving several relatives.
Diane had acted as an administrator for some transactions.
Principal Bennett had signed certain documents.
And later, my mother appeared in records connected to the property's management.
I stared at the papers.
"Why?"
Olivia explained that my mother had worked with Caroline before her death.
She may have helped organize records.
After Caroline died, she continued assisting with some administrative matters.
My stomach tightened.
"So she knew what was happening?"
"Possibly."
I looked at the red envelope.
Then at Raymond.
"Could Diane have been hiding money from both estates?"
He answered carefully.
"That's one possibility. We need the complete records."
I nodded.
Then Principal Bennett arrived.
Raymond had asked him to meet with us.
He entered looking tired.
When he saw the red envelope, he froze.
"Where did you get that?"
I stared at him.
"Mrs. Greene."
His expression changed.
"Loretta?"
I nodded.
"She kept it for my mother."
He sat down slowly.
For a moment, he looked like he might faint.
Then he whispered, "Evelyn told me she'd made copies."
My stomach tightened.
"Copies of what?"
He closed his eyes.
"The property records."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
He looked toward Diane's signature.
Then whispered, "Because she didn't trust the accounting."
The room went silent.
I leaned forward.
"Did you?"
He hesitated.
Then shook his head.
"Not enough."
My heart pounded.
"Explain."
Principal Bennett took a shaky breath.
"After Caroline died, Diane offered to help organize the estate."
I nodded.
"She was Caroline's sister."
"Yes."
He continued.
"I was grieving. I wasn't paying attention the way I should have."
I stared at him.
"Diane handled paperwork?"
He nodded.
"Some of it."
"And my mother noticed problems?"
His eyes filled.
"Yes."
I felt anger rise.
"Then why didn't you stop Diane?"
He covered his face.
"Because I didn't want another family conflict."
I stared at him in disbelief.
Another family conflict.
That was the reason?
My mother had been trying to protect property.
Money.
Legal rights.
And he'd ignored her because he didn't want an argument.
I felt my hands shaking.
"Your silence hurt people."
He nodded.
"I know."
I leaned back.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then he whispered, "Nia, I need to tell you something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
He looked directly at me.
"Your mother wasn't the only person who questioned Diane."
I frowned.
"Who else?"
He swallowed.
"Caroline."
I stared at him.
"But Caroline died before you and Mom became involved."
He nodded.
"Yes."
I leaned forward.
"Then what did she discover?"
He looked toward Olivia.
Then Raymond.
Finally, he whispered, "Caroline believed Diane had been taking money from their parents' trust."
My heart stopped.
I stared at the agreement.
Diane's signature.
Caroline's signature.
Principal Bennett's signature.
A settlement created just weeks before Caroline died.
Then I asked the question nobody seemed willing to answer.
"Did Caroline confront her?"
Principal Bennett nodded.
"Yes."
I swallowed.
"And what happened?"
He looked devastated.
"They had a terrible argument."
I felt cold.
He continued.
"Caroline said she was going to report the missing funds."
My heart began pounding.
"Did she?"
He shook his head.
"She became seriously ill before she could finish reviewing everything."
I stared at him.
For a moment, I felt terrified of where the story was going.
But Raymond spoke firmly.
"Nia, we must not assume Caroline's death was connected to a financial dispute without evidence."
I nodded.
He was right.
Grief could make everything feel suspicious.
But facts mattered.
Still, one thing was becoming clearer.
My mother hadn't imagined the danger.
She had seen something wrong.
And she'd tried to preserve evidence.
I looked at the red envelope.
Then at Principal Bennett.
"Did Diane know my mother had copies?"
He hesitated.
"Eventually."
My stomach twisted.
"When?"
He lowered his eyes.
"Shortly before Evelyn left town."
I stared at him.
Then whispered, "And after Mom died, Diane controlled the records."
He nodded.
I felt tears rising.
For twenty years, I'd believed my mother's death had left me alone because there was nobody to claim me.
Now I wondered whether someone had deliberately made sure I stayed lost.
May you like
Not because they hated me personally.
But because finding me might have meant answering questions about money.
