Chapter 10: The Woman Who Took the Blame
My mother stared at the bank statement as though the paper had personally betrayed her.
“Margaret opened an account in my name?””
Jonathan nodded slowly.
“The application appears to have been submitted three days after Richard's funeral. Someone used your personal information to establish an account, then transferred money into it.””
“How much?”” I asked.
Jonathan examined the document.
“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.””
Daniel gripped the edge of the metal table.
“That money came from the family business?””
“According to the records, yes.””
My mother shook her head.
“I never saw a penny of it.””
“I believe you,” Jonathan said.
Daniel looked at the photograph of his father.
“My father must have arranged everything.””
I turned toward him.
“Then why did Margaret sign the account application?””
He didn't answer.
My mother slowly stood.
“Margaret came to my house after Richard died. She brought groceries. She helped me with the hospital bills. She held Marcus when I couldn't stop crying.””
Her voice broke.
“She told me she wanted to make sure Richard's son had a future.””
Daniel looked down.
“Maybe she was trying to help you.””
My mother turned toward him.
“Then why did she use my name without telling me?””
Nobody answered.
Jonathan carefully placed the papers back into their folders.
“There is a possibility that Margaret was following instructions from someone else. We shouldn't assume the signature tells the entire story.””
I looked at the date again.
Three days after my father's funeral.
Three days after my mother had buried the man she loved.
Someone had been opening accounts in her name.
Someone had been moving money.
And someone had wanted the records to point toward her.
“Can we find out where the money went?”” I asked.
Jonathan nodded.
“The account was closed eleven months later. The remaining balance was transferred to another financial institution. I'll need the complete banking records to trace it.””
Daniel suddenly remembered something.
“Wait.””
He reached for the notebook.
“My mother kept a storage room at the old family house. She refused to let anyone clean it out after she died.””
Vanessa frowned.
“What storage room?””
“The room behind the library. Your grandmother kept her personal papers there.””
Jonathan looked up.
“Could there be additional records?””
“Possibly.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Dad, that house was sold two years ago.””
Daniel went still.
“What?””
“The property was sold after Grandma died. You signed the papers.””
“I sold the main house. I never authorized anyone to clear the library.””
Vanessa looked away.
I noticed.
“Vanessa?””
She didn't respond.
“Did you know about the storage room?””
She finally nodded.
“What happened to it?””
“I had someone remove the contents before the sale.””
Daniel stared at her.
“You did what?””
“There were old papers. Nothing important.””
“Those belonged to your mother!””
“I was trying to protect the family.””
I laughed bitterly.
“That seems to be your favorite excuse.””
She turned toward me.
“Marcus, you don't know what was in those papers.””
“Neither do you, apparently.””
Her eyes flashed.
“I know enough.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“What did you find?””
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she reached into her handbag and removed a small folded piece of paper.
“I kept this.””
Jonathan took it carefully.
It was a handwritten note from Margaret.
The date was written at the top.
Six months before she died.
Vanessa,
If you have found the papers in the library, do not destroy them. They contain the truth about Richard, Eleanor, and the money that disappeared.
I made a terrible mistake by trusting the wrong person.
I have spent years trying to correct it.
Please, my daughter, don't repeat what I did.
Daniel read the note over Jonathan's shoulder.
His face turned pale.
“Why didn't you show me this?””
Vanessa began crying.
“Because I didn't want you to know.””
“Know what?””
She looked at her father.
“That Grandma was afraid of you.””
Daniel stepped backward.
“Of me?””
“She thought you knew more than you admitted.””
Daniel shook his head.
“I was twenty-three years old. I didn't even know what I was signing.””
Vanessa wiped her cheeks.
“That's what you always say.””
My mother reached for the note.
“Vanessa, did Margaret tell you anything else?””
Vanessa looked at her.
“She told me she had tried to protect you.””
“Protect me from whom?””
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she whispered:
“From my grandfather.””
The room became silent.
Daniel sat down heavily.
“My father?””
Vanessa nodded.
“She said Arthur had discovered that Richard wanted to expose the company accounts. He was afraid of losing control of the family business.””
I looked at the photograph again.
My father standing beside the black car.
The invoice.
The mysterious company.
The money transferred into my mother's name.
“Did Margaret know someone was going to hurt Richard?”” I asked.
Vanessa looked down.
“She said she knew he was in danger.””
My mother's eyes filled.
“Then why didn't she warn me?””
Vanessa's voice trembled.
“Because she believed she could stop it without involving you.””
I felt anger rising again.
“She let my father die?””
“I don't know!””
“Your mother knew he was in danger, and she said nothing?””
Vanessa covered her face.
“I only heard pieces of their conversations. I was a child.””
Jonathan raised a hand.
“We need to be careful. These records are evidence of suspicious financial activity, but they do not establish who caused Richard's death.””
He looked at Daniel.
“I strongly recommend that we preserve everything and contact the appropriate authorities.””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
Then Jonathan's phone rang.
He checked the number.
“It's the bank's records department.””
He answered.
“Jonathan Pierce speaking.””
We watched him listen.
At first, his expression was neutral.
Then his eyebrows drew together.
“Are you certain?””
A pause.
“Please send the archived document immediately.””
He ended the call.
I stepped closer.
“What happened?””
Jonathan looked at my mother.
“The bank found the original authorization for the account opened in your name.””
My mother gripped the edge of the table.
“And?””
Jonathan swallowed.
“The signature wasn't forged.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
He looked toward the document.
“According to the bank, Eleanor personally appeared and signed the application.””
My mother shook her head violently.
“No. I never opened that account.””
Jonathan nodded.
“I believe you. But someone must have appeared using your identity.””
He looked at the accompanying photograph.
The bank had preserved a scanned identification image from the application.
He turned the laptop toward us.
The photograph showed a woman standing at the bank counter.
She had my mother's face.
Her hairstyle.
Her blue eyes.
But the woman in the picture was younger.
And she was wearing a hospital uniform.
My mother stepped closer.
Then she whispered something none of us expected.
“That's not me.””
She pointed to the woman's left hand.
“She has a wedding ring.””
My mother slowly removed her own hand from the table.
“I never wore a wedding ring after Richard died.””
Daniel stared at the photograph.
May you like
Then he whispered:
“That's Margaret.””
