Chapter 5: The Meeting Before My Mother's Death
Rhonda didn't answer.
She stood beside the sofa, her fingers wrapped around the strap of her handbag.
My father waited.
David Morgan remained silent.
I stared at the photograph.
My mother looked happy.
Rhonda looked younger, but there was no mistaking her.
And Daniel Whitmore stood behind them, his hand resting on the back of a chair.
“Mom knew you before she died?”” I whispered.
Rhonda finally spoke.
“We met through Daniel.””
“Why?””
“Business.””
My father let out a humorless laugh.
“Lisa never did business with you.””
Rhonda turned toward him.
“You don't know everything that happened between us.””
“Then explain it.””
She looked at the photograph.
Then at me.
“Your mother asked to meet me.””
I frowned.
“Why would she?””
“Because she wanted to talk about Daniel.””
My father stepped forward.
“What about Daniel?””
Rhonda swallowed.
“He told me your mother was investigating him.””
David opened his notebook.
“Investigating what?””
Rhonda shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“Mrs. Ellis,” David said, “this is an opportunity to explain your involvement before we proceed with formal legal action.””
Rhonda laughed bitterly.
“You think I planned all of this?””
My father didn't respond.
She turned toward me.
“Your mother was not the woman you think she was.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Don't talk about my mother.””
“She wasn't perfect, Madison.””
“Neither are you.””
Rhonda's face flushed.
“Your mother was suspicious of everyone. She thought people were always trying to take something from her.””
David interrupted.
“Were they?””
Rhonda looked away.
Then she walked toward the window.
“Daniel told me Lisa was hiding company assets. He said Robert was going to lose everything if she continued interfering.””
My father frowned.
“What?””
“He said she was moving money into a private trust and refusing to disclose the details.””
My father stared at her.
“That trust was created legally. I knew about it.””
“Daniel said you didn't know the full amount.””
David opened another file.
“That's not relevant to the unauthorized transfers.””
Rhonda turned.
“It was relevant to me!””
Her voice cracked.
“Daniel told me the company was going to collapse. He said I needed to protect myself and Brianna.””
My father looked at her.
“You were not married to me then.””
“I was raising Brianna alone!””
“And that gave you permission to steal from my wife?””
Rhonda's eyes filled again.
“I didn't steal anything.””
David placed a document on the table.
“Then perhaps you can explain this.””
It was a photocopy of an old bank transfer.
The date was seven years earlier.
The amount was $42,000.
The receiving account belonged to a company registered to Daniel Whitmore.
Rhonda stared at it.
“I don't know what that is.””
“Your signature appears on the authorization.””
“I didn't sign it.””
David pointed to the notary stamp.
“Would you like us to have it examined?””
Rhonda said nothing.
My father sat down.
“Lisa was right.””
I looked at him.
“About what?””
He picked up the photograph again.
“She told me she had discovered that Daniel was using company accounts to move money into private businesses. She believed someone was helping him.””
“Who?””
He looked toward Rhonda.
“She never gave me a name.””
I felt a chill move through my body.
“Dad, did Mom tell you she was afraid?””
He hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Once.””
“When?””
“About a week before she died.””
I stared at him.
“What did she say?””
He looked down at his hands.
“She told me to make sure you were safe if anything happened.””
My throat tightened.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“You were eleven, Madison. Your mother had just died. I couldn't put those fears on your shoulders.””
I looked at the photograph.
I wanted to touch my mother's face.
I wanted to ask her why she had been meeting Rhonda.
Why she had been investigating Daniel.
Why she had written letters about protecting me.
But all I had were questions.
And the woman who could answer them was gone.
David placed another sheet on the table.
“There's a detail in the original trust agreement that may explain why Daniel has been so interested in Madison's inheritance.””
My father looked up.
“What detail?””
David turned the page.
“Lisa included a controlling-interest clause in the trust.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“Your mother owned a significant portion of Ellis Development Holdings before her death. Rather than allowing those shares to be distributed immediately, she placed them under a protected arrangement.””
My father leaned forward.
“Those shares were supposed to remain untouched until Madison turned eighteen.””
David nodded.
“Exactly.””
He pointed to a paragraph.
“Upon Madison reaching adulthood, the voting rights associated with those shares transfer to her, subject to the trust's administration provisions.””
I stared at him.
“So I own part of the company?””
“You are the beneficiary of the shares held by the trust. The exact ownership structure needs to be reviewed, but yes, you have a substantial financial interest.””
My father looked exhausted.
“Lisa wanted Madison to have a voice in the company when she was old enough.””
I thought about all the times Rhonda had complained about my medical expenses.
All the times she had said I was a financial burden.
She knew.
She had known that I would eventually become the beneficiary of something valuable.
And she had waited.
“Is that why she wanted the scholarship money?”” I asked.
David nodded.
“Possibly. The scholarship may have been the easiest asset to access because it was new and the payment process was still being completed.””
My father looked at Rhonda.
“Did Daniel tell you Madison's eighteenth birthday would activate the voting rights?””
Rhonda didn't answer.
But her silence was enough.
Brianna suddenly stood.
“Mom, what's going on?””
Rhonda turned toward her.
“Sit down.””
“No! You told me this was all Dad's money. You said Madison was only getting the house because he felt guilty about her mother.””
I stared at Brianna.
“What did she tell you?””
Brianna looked uncomfortable.
“She said there was an agreement.””
“What agreement?””
“She said once you turned eighteen, everything would be divided.””
David shook his head.
“That's incorrect.””
Brianna's eyes widened.
“Then why did Mom tell me I would get half?””
Nobody spoke.
Rhonda looked at her daughter.
“Brianna, stop talking.””
But Brianna was already angry.
“You promised me!””
Rhonda grabbed her arm.
“Not now.””
“You said the trust was supposed to be ours!””
I felt my heart pounding.
Ours.
Not hers.
Not mine.
Ours.
My mother had created the trust for me.
And Rhonda had apparently spent years convincing her daughter that she was entitled to it.
My father stepped toward Brianna.
“Did your mother ever show you any legal documents?””
Brianna nodded.
“She showed me some papers in her bedroom.””
“What papers?””
“I don't know. They had Madison's name on them.””
Rhonda's expression turned furious.
“Brianna!””
Her daughter flinched.
I looked at her.
“When did she show you?””
“Last month.””
“What did they say?””
Brianna swallowed.
“She said you would never get to control anything.””
My father turned toward David.
“Can we search the financial records for any recent changes?””
David nodded.
“We can request a complete audit.””
Rhonda suddenly grabbed her handbag.
“I'm leaving.””
My father didn't stop her.
But David spoke calmly.
“Before you go, Mrs. Ellis, I need to inform you that the attorney's office has already requested preservation of the relevant financial records. Any attempt to alter or destroy documents could create additional legal problems.””
Rhonda stared at him.
“You people are trying to ruin my life.””
David closed his notebook.
“No, Mrs. Ellis. We're trying to establish what happened to money that never belonged to you.””
Rhonda stormed upstairs.
A door slammed.
Brianna sat down and covered her face.
I remained standing beside the coffee table.
My father came toward me.
“Madison.””
I looked at him.
“Did you know?””
He frowned.
“Know what?””
“That Mom left me all of this. That Rhonda knew. That Daniel was involved.””
“No, sweetheart.””
“Then why did you let her control everything?””
His face crumpled.
“I thought I was giving you a stable home.””
I swallowed.
“She made me feel like I was stealing from you every time I needed medical treatment.””
My father closed his eyes.
“I know.””
“She said you were tired of paying for me.””
“Madison…”
“She told me I was a burden.””
He pulled me into his arms.
“You were never a burden.””
I started crying.
“I believed her.””
He held me tighter.
“I should have seen what was happening.””
For a few moments, neither of us spoke.
Then David cleared his throat.
“Robert, there's one more matter.””
My father looked at him.
“What now?””
David removed a final document from his folder.
“This is a copy of the security access log from the trust administrator.””
He pointed to an entry.
“Someone accessed the original beneficiary records three weeks ago.””
My father leaned closer.
“Who?””
David turned the document toward him.
The access was registered under the credentials of a former employee.
A man named Peter Caldwell.
I frowned.
“Who is he?””
My father stared at the name.
“Peter was Lisa's financial adviser.””
David nodded.
“He was dismissed six years ago after a dispute involving the company accounts.””
“Why would he still have access?””
“He shouldn't.””
My father looked toward the staircase.
“Did Rhonda know Peter?””
David checked another page.
“According to the records, they exchanged several emails over the past year.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“How many?””
David looked at me.
“Thirty-seven.””
Then he placed a printed email on the table.
The subject line read:
*MADISON'S EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY — FINAL ARRANGEMENTS.*
The email had been sent three weeks before my birthday.
And the last sentence read:
Once the girl receives the scholarship, we'll have the perfect opportunity to move everything at once.
I stared at the words.
My father slowly looked up.
“David, I want every message recovered.””
David nodded.
“I've already requested the archived records.””
Then he added something that made my blood run cold.
“There's one message Peter sent to Rhonda that was never deleted.””
He turned the page.
May you like
It contained a single sentence.
If Madison discovers what happened on the night Lisa died, none of us will be safe.
