“Is Lila okay?”
In the hallway stood a tall officer. He had brown hair and kind eyes, and his lopsided smile reminded me of Everett.
He stepped forward and offered his hand. “Martha, ma’am?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Officer Reed.”
I glanced at Helen, panic flaring. “Am I in trouble, son?”
Officer Reed shook his head. “I’m from financial crimes, ma’am. Your bank flagged some recent paperwork on your house as suspicious. Did you know your home was being sold?”
“Am I in trouble, son?”
I shook my head in frustration.
“Sold? I knew Lila was up to something. My neighbor Ruth said there was a For Sale sign out front. But I never agreed to any sale. Lila had me sign some things after my son died, but I thought it was just for medical bills or… I don’t know. I was grieving.”
Officer Reed made a few notes, his voice calm. “That’s what the bank suspected, too. Your neighbor and our office both raised concerns. Would you be willing to help us get to the bottom of it?”
“Yes, whatever you need.”
He leaned forward, gentler now. “With your permission, we’d like to access your home security system. There could be audio or video that helps clarify things.”
“Yes. The panel is by the pantry. Everett wrote the code on a little sticky note. He always did things like that.”
“I don’t know. I was grieving.”
***
Days later, Officer Reed called and asked if I’d be comfortable coming down to the station.
“You won’t be alone, Martha. I’ll meet you at the door.”
The ride over felt surreal. I hadn’t been outside the nursing home in months.
He met me in the lobby, offering a steady arm. “How are you feeling today?”
“Unsteady,” I admitted. “But ready to know the truth.”
He smiled. “Let’s do this together.”
In a small, quiet room, he slid a recorder across the table. “We found some audio. If you’re comfortable, I’ll play it now.”
“Let’s do this together.”
I nodded, clutching a tissue. He pressed play.
Lila’s voice rang out, cold and unguarded. “He’s gone, Brock. All I had to do was get Martha to sign the papers. She was so out of it, she didn’t even notice. Once we sell, we’ll be set. You and me.”
A laugh, Brock’s. “Nobody’s going to check on the old lady. By the time anyone cares, the money will be ours.”
The next clip was worse. Lila again. “I told her it was for her health. She barely knew what day it was. Honestly, I think she wanted to leave. She just didn’t have the guts to do it herself.”
My hand shook as I covered my mouth. “I never… I didn’t think they’d talk about me that way. Not in my own home.”
“She barely knew what day it was.”
Officer Reed’s eyes softened. “Is that their voices, Martha?”
“Yes. That’s Lila and Brock. I thought maybe if I was quiet enough, we could all just heal.”
He clicked off the recorder. “You did nothing wrong. You were grieving, Martha. You trusted your family, and that’s not a crime. They took advantage, and that’s on them.”
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