Chapter 14 - One More Chance
"Mom was dead," I said. "How could anyone approve a transfer in her name?"
"They used her account credentials," Ortiz replied. "We're tracing the device and IP records. It was another attempt to move money before the estate could intervene."
I had spent years thinking family fights were private. Now strangers were reading Mom's finances because silence had turned theft into a business plan.
In the ICU, Claire could stay awake for short periods. She recognized Emma, me, and Jo. Words sometimes escaped her. When I asked how she felt, she frowned and searched for the answer.
"Like ... a radio," she finally said. "Between stations."
"I'll stay until it comes in clear," I told her.
She rolled her eyes, a tiny piece of the old Claire, and I laughed so suddenly it came out as a sob.
Nora brought another page from Mom's letter. It explained something I hadn't known: Mallory's catering business had collapsed, leaving her buried under debts Grant had guaranteed. Mom had offered to help with forty-five thousand dollars from her own savings, paid directly to creditors, if Mallory agreed to financial counseling and stopped using the house as collateral.
"She offered her a way out," I said.
"Mallory refused. She wanted control of the property, not a plan to repay what she owed."
The letter ended: I am not leaving my daughter without love. I am leaving her without permission to keep hurting us.
Claire read that line slowly, touching each word with her finger.
"She told me," Claire whispered. "I thought ... maybe ... Mallory would listen."
"You kept this from me?"
Tears filled her eyes. "Evelyn asked for two days. She wanted to tell you herself."
I wanted to be angry. Then I looked at the bandage around Claire's head and remembered that Mom's two days had run out.
May you like
My phone rang. Ortiz was calling.
"Mallory came to the station," she said. "She says she wants to tell us what Grant made her do."
