Chapter 17 - My Parents' House
Police surrounded my parents' house before anyone went inside.
Mom and Dad were with us, both pale.
"Why would he go there?" Dad asked.
I knew.
"Because you still have Grandma's original records."
Dad's face changed.
The safe in his study contained old deeds, trust letters, and handwritten notes from Grandma Ruth.
Martin had managed the estate long enough to know that.
Police entered.
Five minutes later, they brought Martin out through the front door.
He looked smaller than I expected.
Just a gray-haired man in a winter coat who had nearly dismantled our family with paperwork and fear.
He did not look at me.
Then an officer carried out a canvas bag.
Inside were original trust pages, Mom's signed statement, photocopies of James's deployment forms, and three blank checks from my parents' account.
Dad sat down on the curb.
"He was going to take everything."
James looked at him.
"He already took something. He took your judgment and used it against your family."
Mom flinched.
I didn't defend her.
The detective showed us one more item.
A flash drive from Martin's pocket.
On it were spreadsheets tracking payments.
Martin had been charging Lauren "consulting fees" for months.
He had also charged my parents.
And one payment came from an account none of us recognized.
Megan traced it the next morning.
The account belonged to a shell company connected to the developer trying to buy Grandma's land.
Suddenly the trust wasn't only about stolen money.
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Martin had been paid to force a sale.
And if Emma's guardian approved it, the land could disappear before she was old enough to know it had ever been hers.
