Chapter 16 - THE UNCLE WHO DISAPPEARED|
I hadn't seen Robert Bennett in fourteen years.
He had been my mother's younger brother, a charming man who always seemed to have a new business plan and a reason he needed money. When my mother refused to let him borrow from the trust, he accused her of stealing from their family.
After that, he disappeared.
I had been told he moved to Arizona.
Now his name was connected to the same financial scheme that had destroyed my mother's peace.
Evelyn located an old address in the suburbs. The property was registered under a different name, but the mailing records suggested Robert still lived there.
The detective agreed to accompany us.
Alexander offered to come.
I refused.
He accepted it without argument.
That was becoming a pattern: he was finally learning that my decisions did not require his approval.
Robert's house was small, poorly maintained, and surrounded by overgrown shrubs. When he opened the door, he looked older than I remembered.
He stared at me.
“Claire?”
I nodded.
His gaze moved to Evelyn and the detective.
“What is this about?”
“My mother.”
His expression changed.
He stepped aside.
Inside, the house smelled of stale coffee and cigarette smoke. Robert sat in an armchair while we explained what we had found.
When I showed him the ledger, he closed his eyes.
“I told Margaret to leave it alone.”
“You knew?”
“I knew there was money moving through the trust. I didn't know how much.”
“You helped them.”
He looked at me.
“I made a mistake.”
“You forged documents?”
“I signed things I shouldn't have signed. I was told it was temporary.”
“Who told you?”
Robert rubbed his face.
“Douglas Keane.”
I felt anger rise.
“Why?”
“Because he promised me a share of the property sale.”
“You sold my mother's work for money?”
“I was in debt.”
“So was she. She still chose to protect people who needed help.”
Robert looked down.
For a moment, I saw the boy my mother had loved.
Then he spoke.
“Douglas told me that if I didn't cooperate, he would make sure I was blamed for everything. He had records showing the payments.”
“Where are they?”
“In a storage locker.”
The detective asked for the location.
Robert gave it.
Then he looked at me.
“There's something else.”
I waited.
“Your mother didn't die from the illness everyone believed she had.”
The room went silent.
My throat tightened.
“What are you saying?”
“She was getting better. Then she had a reaction after taking medication. The doctors said it was an interaction.”
I felt dizzy.
“Are you saying someone poisoned her?”
“I don't know. But Douglas was the one who arranged her prescriptions during that last month.”
Evelyn stood.
“Why didn't you tell the police?”
“Because I was afraid.”
I stared at him.
“You let me believe my mother died naturally.”
Robert began to cry.
“I was a coward.”
I wanted to hate him. I wanted to shout until he understood what he had taken from me.
Instead, I stood.
“Give the detective everything you have.”
He nodded.
The storage locker contained a second set of financial records and a letter from Douglas. The letter instructed Robert to sign the property transfer documents and warned him not to speak to Margaret again.
It was enough to connect Douglas to the fraud.
But the detective found something else.
A bank receipt dated two days before my mother's death.
It showed a large payment from Douglas to a private medical consultant.
Evelyn read the receipt.
“Claire, this could be important.”
I stared at the date.
Then I saw the name of the consultant.
Dr. Martin Ellis.
May you like
The same doctor who had signed my mother's final medical report.
And the same doctor who was now listed as a consultant at the hospital where I received my prenatal care.
