So, you can prove it’s fake.
I can hire a forensic document examiner who can prove it’s fake.
Diana set the paper down.
What’s more interesting is the submission method. This form wasn’t mailed in. It was submitted directly at the insurance office. Meaning someone walked in pretending to be me or claiming to represent you.
Diana pulled out another document.
I’ve already requested the visitor logs for that date and I spoke with the clerk who processed this form.
My heart rate spiked.
What did they say?
He remembers a woman, middle-aged, brown hair, said she was handling paperwork for her daughter who was too busy with work.
Diana’s smile was sharp.
Does that description ring any bells?
Brown hair. My mother had been dying her gray for years.
Can he identify her in a lineup?
He’s willing to try.
Diana gathered the papers.
Between the security footage, the signature analysis, and a potential eyewitness, your mother may have outsmarted herself.
I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.
What do we do now?
Now? We wait for her to make another move.
We didn’t have to wait long.
The invitation came 3 days later. My mother’s voice on the phone was honey sweet, a tone I recognized from childhood, the one she used when she wanted something.
Evelyn, honey, the family’s been so worried about you. I’m hosting a little gathering this Sunday. Nothing fancy, just people who love you coming together to show support after everything you’ve been through.
I almost laughed. Almost.
A gathering.
At our house around 2:00, Uncle Thomas, Aunt Margaret, the cousins, everyone wants to see you. Make sure you’re okay.
Make sure I’m the crazy one, she meant. Make sure everyone sees poor unstable Evelyn before she can say anything damaging.
I’ll be there, I said.
Really?
She couldn’t quite hide her surprise.
That’s wonderful, sweetheart. It’ll be so good for you to be around family.
I hung up and immediately called Marcus.
Don’t confront her, he warned. We need more time. The warrant’s being processed, but these things take days.
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