Chapter 3: My Mother’s Name
The witness line read: Elaine Carver.
“My mother didn’t do this.”
“Dan, that appears to be her signature,” Howard said.
I leaned across his desk.
“She can barely hold a pen on bad days.
Why would she help Rebecca put our house at risk?”
“I don’t know, but there’s another problem.”
Howard opened the identity-verification record.
A copy of Mom’s driver’s license had been uploaded with the application.
“Who approved it?”
“The loan officer was Nolan Vale.”
“Vale?”
“Tessa’s brother.”
I called Mom and put the phone on speaker.
“Mom, did Rebecca ask you to sign papers six months ago?”
Her breath caught.
“What kind of papers?”
“Documents connected to the house.”
“Oh, Daniel.”
Howard pushed a box of tissues across the desk.
“What did you sign?”
“She said they were forms to make the downstairs bathroom safer for me.
Grab bars, a wider doorway—things like that.”
“Did you read them?”
“She covered most of the pages with her hand.
She pointed to one line.”
“Why didn’t you ask me?”
Mom’s voice shrank.
“Rebecca said you were tired of paying for my care.
She said signing would prove I was grateful.”
I closed my eyes.
“Mom, listen to me.
I have never been tired of caring for you.”
“She told me not to embarrass you.”
Howard tapped the document.
“Elaine, was anyone else in the room?”
“Tessa was recording on her phone.
Rebecca said the bank needed proof that I signed willingly.”
“Did you?”
There was a pause.
“Rebecca said if I refused, she would tell Daniel I’d become confused and needed a facility.”
My chair scraped backward.
Howard reached for the phone.
“Elaine, did Nolan Vale speak to you?”
“He appeared on Rebecca’s laptop.
He asked whether I understood.
Rebecca stood behind the screen and nodded at me.”
“What did you say?”
“I said yes.”
Mom began crying.
“I’m sorry, Daniel.
I thought I was saving you from another expense.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.
Rebecca lied to you.”
Howard lowered his head.
“And my office failed to catch it.”
I looked at him.
“Failed—or chose not to?”
His eyes lifted.
“Rebecca brought me a limited financial authorization last year.
It carried your signature.”
“I never gave her one.”
“I accepted it because she had handled your accounts for years.”
“You didn’t call me?”
“I emailed you.”
“You knew I worked fourteen-hour days.
Why didn’t you pick up the phone?”
Howard removed his glasses.
“Because accepting the easy answer was convenient.”
My phone buzzed.
Mason had sent me a photograph.
It showed Rebecca’s desk drawer open.
Inside were Mom’s driver’s license, my Social Security card, two bank stamps, and a passport application bearing Mason’s name.
Beneath the picture was a message.
DAD, SHE CAME BACK.
SHE’S PACKING MY THINGS.
I called him immediately.
“Mason, where are you?”
“In my room.”
“Lock the door.”
“Dad, she says I’m going with her.”
Rebecca’s voice sounded from the hallway.
“Mason, open this door right now.”
“Don’t open it,” I said.
She raised her voice so I could hear every word.
“Tell your father that if he comes near this house, I’ll make sure the police see what he did to my face.”
Then someone pounded on Howard’s office door.
His assistant stepped inside holding a document that had just arrived by courier.
May you like
Howard read the first page and looked at me.
“Daniel, Rebecca has filed an emergency order against you.”
