Chapter 6: The Woman Behind the Missing Money
I stared at the photograph until the screen dimmed.
Vanessa stood outside a bank, her beige blouse replaced by a black coat. Her face was turned toward a man holding a thick folder.
The photograph appeared to have been taken recently.
I enlarged it.
The man's face was partially visible.
I didn't recognize him.
“Who sent this?”” Grandma asked.
“I don't know.””
Patricia held out her hand.
“May I see it?””
I passed her the phone.
She examined the image, then the message details.
“Don't delete anything. We'll preserve the original.””
My father had gone pale.
“That's Daniel.””
Patricia looked up.
“You just said Daniel died two years ago.””
“I mean the man Vanessa is speaking to. That's not Daniel. It's someone who worked with him.””
“Who?””
Richard shook his head.
“I don't know his name.””
Grandma folded her arms.
“You expect us to believe you established a company with your wife and her brother, moved Laura's insurance money through it, and don't know who manages it?””
“I didn't manage it!””
“Then who did?””
Richard looked at the photograph again.
“Vanessa.””
The answer came too quickly.
I turned toward him.
“So Vanessa controlled the company?””
He nodded.
“She handled the paperwork. She said it was a way to organize our finances.””
Patricia opened a new document on her laptop.
“Do you have any records showing how the company was funded?””
Richard shook his head.
“Vanessa has everything.””
Grandma looked at him.
“Then we need those records.””
My father leaned forward.
“Mom, listen. I know I made mistakes, but Vanessa was handling things. I trusted her.””
I almost laughed.
He had trusted Vanessa with my mother's money.
He had trusted her with documents bearing my name.
He had trusted her enough to let her throw me out of the house.
Yet somehow, he expected me to believe he was the victim.
“Dad,” I said quietly, “did you ever ask where the money went?””
He looked at me.
“Of course.””
“And what did she tell you?””
“That she was investing it.””
“In what?””
He hesitated.
“Property. Business opportunities.””
Patricia stopped typing.
“What property?””
Richard rubbed his forehead.
“She mentioned a rental apartment.””
Grandma looked at him sharply.
“Where?””
“I don't remember exactly.””
Patricia leaned back.
“Richard, if you're going to cooperate, I need specific information. Otherwise, I can't distinguish what you know from what you're guessing.””
He stared at the table.
Then he finally said, “There was a condominium in another town. Vanessa said her brother was helping with the purchase.””
“Was it purchased?”” Patricia asked.
“I don't know.””
“Was it registered in your name?””
“No.””
“Vanessa's?””
He didn't answer.
Patricia closed her laptop.
“We'll need the full bank records and company filings. I'll also advise you not to contact anyone involved about this investigation until we've secured the relevant records.””
My father nodded.
Grandma stood.
“We should go.””
Patricia stopped her.
“One more thing. I want Maya to understand that she doesn't need to negotiate directly with Vanessa about the property. Any communication regarding ownership should come through me.””
I nodded.
“Thank you.””
As we left the office, I noticed my father hanging behind.
“Can I talk to Maya alone?””
Grandma looked at me.
I hesitated.
“Five minutes,” I said.
We stepped into the hallway.
The office door closed behind us.
My father looked older than he had the night before.
His eyes were red, and his hands trembled slightly.
“Maya, I need you to believe something.””
“What?””
“I never wanted you to lose your home.””
I looked at him.
“You let Vanessa print the notice.””
“I didn't know she was going to put it beside your cake.””
“But you knew she wanted me gone.””
He swallowed.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He looked toward the window.
“She thought we needed to simplify things. She said the house was too expensive to maintain, that you were becoming an adult, and that you should learn to live independently.””
“I already worked.””
“I know.””
“I paid bills.””
“I know.””
“I never asked you to buy me expensive things.””
“I know, Maya.””
His voice cracked.
“Then why wasn't I enough?””
He closed his eyes.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he whispered, “Because I was afraid of losing Vanessa.””
I stared at him.
“And you were willing to lose me?””
He had no answer.
I turned toward the elevator.
“Maya, wait.””
I stopped but didn't face him.
“I loved your mother. I still love her. When she died, I didn't know how to live with everything that happened. Vanessa made things feel easier.””
I slowly turned around.
“Easier for you?””
He nodded.
“She took care of things. She organized the bills. She made decisions.””
“And I became a problem.””
“No.””
“Yes, Dad. Because I reminded you of Mom.””
His eyes filled.
I walked away.
Grandma was waiting near the elevator.
She didn't ask what we'd discussed.
She simply held the elevator door open.
That afternoon, we returned to the house with Patricia's instructions and a list of documents to collect.
Vanessa was waiting in the living room.
Her arms were crossed.
“You've been busy,” she said.
Grandma placed her handbag on the table.
“Where are the company records?””
Vanessa laughed.
“What company?””
“Bennett Family Holdings.””
Her expression flickered.
Just for a second.
Then she shrugged.
“I don't know what you're talking about.””
Patricia had advised us not to argue, but Grandma wasn't easily intimidated.
“We have bank records showing transfers into the company. We also have evidence that you're listed as an authorized person.””
Vanessa's jaw tightened.
“Richard signed those documents.””
“Did he authorize the transfers?””
“Ask him.””
“I have.””
Vanessa looked toward the staircase.
“Where is Maya?””
“I'm here,” I said.
She turned.
“Good. Maybe you can tell your grandmother to stop trying to destroy this family.””
I placed my phone on the table.
“Why were you at the bank yesterday?””
Vanessa's eyes dropped to the screen.
The photograph was open.
Her face changed.
“Where did you get that?””
“Does it matter?””
“Who sent it?””
“I asked you a question.””
She picked up the phone.
Grandma immediately took it from her.
“Don't touch Maya's property.””
Vanessa stepped backward.
“You have no idea what you're doing.””
“Then explain.””
She looked at my father, who had just entered from the kitchen.
“Richard, tell them.””
He stood near the doorway.
“What?””
“Tell them about the account.””
He looked confused.
“Which one?””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“The one your mother doesn't know about.””
Grandma went still.
“What account?””
Vanessa pressed her lips together.
Then she laughed nervously.
“Nothing. Forget it.””
But I had heard her.
“What account?””
Vanessa walked toward the staircase.
“I'm not discussing private financial matters with a girl who just turned eighteen.””
I stepped in front of her.
“It's my mother's money.””
She stopped.
For a moment, I thought she might slap me.
Instead, she leaned closer.
“You should be careful, Maya. You don't know what your mother actually left behind.””
Grandma moved between us.
“That's enough.””
Vanessa looked at her.
“You think Laura was perfect? You think she told you everything?””
Grandma's eyes narrowed.
“What are you suggesting?””
Vanessa smiled faintly.
“Ask Richard why Laura changed her will during the last month of her life.””
My father froze.
Grandma turned toward him.
“What is she talking about?””
He shook his head.
“Vanessa, stop.””
But Vanessa was no longer looking at him.
She was looking directly at me.
“Your mother changed something important before she died. And your grandmother never told you.””
I felt cold.
“What did she change?””
Vanessa walked upstairs without answering.
The sound of her bedroom door closing echoed through the house.
Grandma turned to Richard.
“Is there another will?””
He stared at the staircase.
“It's not what she thinks.””
“What does that mean?””
He rubbed his face.
“Laura updated her estate documents shortly before she died. There was a disagreement about who should manage the inheritance.””
Grandma's expression hardened.
“I was the appointed trustee.””
“Not anymore.””
The words landed like a stone.
“What?”” Grandma whispered.
Richard looked toward me.
“She changed the executor.””
“Who did she appoint?”” I asked.
He hesitated.
“Vanessa.””
I couldn't breathe.
Grandma gripped the edge of the table.
“That is impossible. Laura never told me she was changing the arrangement.””
“She didn't have to tell you.””
“Was the change legally witnessed?””
Richard nodded.
“Two witnesses.””
Grandma shook her head.
“Who?””
He looked down.
“I don't remember.””
Patricia had told us to preserve every document.
I took out my phone and called her.
When she answered, I spoke quickly.
“Patricia, we found something else. My stepmother says my mother changed her will during the final month of her life and appointed her as executor.””
There was silence.
Then Patricia asked, “Did she say when the document was signed?””
“About a month before Mom died.””
“Do you have a copy?””
“No.””
“Then don't confront Vanessa about it. I'll request the probate records and obtain the original document if it was filed.””
I swallowed.
“Patricia, can Vanessa take my inheritance?””
“Not simply because she claims to be executor. We need to establish the document's validity, its exact terms, and whether it superseded the earlier arrangements.””
After the call, Grandma sat down.
She looked devastated.
“Your mother would have told me.””
I took her hand.
“Maybe she tried.””
Grandma looked up.
“What do you mean?””
I remembered something.
A small wooden box my mother had kept in her bedroom.
It had been missing for years.
I had asked Vanessa about it once, and she'd told me she'd thrown away the old belongings because they were taking up space.
“Grandma, Mom had a box.””
“What box?””
“A wooden keepsake box. She kept her important papers in it.””
Grandma's face changed.
“Laura's documents?””
“I think so. I haven't seen it since I was a child.””
She looked toward the staircase.
“Did Vanessa ever say what happened to it?””
I nodded.
“She said she'd thrown it away.””
Grandma stood immediately.
“Then we're going to find out whether she was telling the truth.””
But before we could move, a loud crash came from upstairs.
Then Vanessa screamed.
“WHO TOUCHED MY SUITCASE?””
We ran toward the staircase.
At the top, Vanessa stood beside an open wardrobe.
Clothes were scattered across the floor.
A small wooden box sat on the bed.
My mother's box.
And beside it was a thick envelope bearing my name.
Vanessa grabbed the envelope before I could reach it.
“Don't you dare touch this!””
Grandma stepped forward.
“Put it down.””
Vanessa clutched it against her chest.
“You don't understand what this contains.””
I stared at the handwriting on the front.
It was my mother's.
Then I saw the date.
The envelope had been written just four days before she died.
And beneath my name were five words that made Grandma gasp:
*OPEN ONLY WHEN YOU TURN EIGHTEEN.*
Vanessa looked from me to Grandma.
For the first time, she seemed genuinely frightened.
May you like
Because whatever my mother had written in that envelope, she had clearly intended for me to read it.
And Vanessa had spent eleven years making sure I never did.
