Chapter 11 - The Brother
Kyle Mercer lived forty miles away and answered Daniel's call on the fifth ring.
"Hey, man. Bad time."
"Were you stealing from Dad's trust with Olivia?"
Silence.
Then: "What?"
"Don't insult me."
Kyle exhaled. "Daniel, I can explain."
"Good. Start with the casino picture."
Another silence.
"Where did you get that?"
Kyle arrived at the police station with a lawyer two hours later.
His story came out in pieces.
He had been gambling for years. Olivia discovered it after lending him money. Then she started betting too. At first they won. Then they chased losses. Kyle owed dangerous private lenders. Olivia used family money to cover him, then used more to cover herself.
"She said she'd replace it before anyone noticed," Kyle said.
Daniel stared through the glass partition. "And my identity?"
Kyle rubbed his face. "That was her. I told her not to."
"You told her not to steal my identity while helping her steal my father's money?"
Kyle flinched.
"Mom found out," Daniel said.
"Yeah."
"What did Olivia say?"
Kyle looked at his lawyer.
The lawyer nodded once.
"She said Margaret was going to destroy everything. She said if your mom got declared incompetent, nobody would trust her claims."
Daniel felt the blood drain from his face.
"Declared incompetent how?"
Kyle swallowed.
"Olivia had been collecting medical records. Forgetfulness. Medication mistakes. That stuff. She wanted a doctor to sign off."
"Mom isn't incompetent."
"I know."
"Did Olivia ever say she'd hurt her?"
Kyle's eyes dropped.
"Once. After a lot of drinks. She said, 'Old people fall all the time.'"
Daniel stood so fast his chair slammed backward.
Ortiz caught his arm before he could reach the door.
Kyle started crying.
"Daniel, there's more."
Daniel turned.
May you like
Kyle's voice shook.
"The night before the fall, Olivia asked me how long someone can survive after a brain bleed."
