Chapter 7 - MY MOTHER CAME BACK
I called the police before Teresa could touch the lock.
She remained outside.
She did not knock.
She simply stood beneath the porch light as if she owned the place.
Then my phone rang.
“Let me inside, Connor.”
“No.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“You’re under investigation.”
“I am your mother.”
“That stopped being an excuse.”
Her voice hardened.
“That woman has poisoned you.”
I looked toward the bedroom where Amy was holding Frederick.
“No, Mom.”
“She finally made me see you clearly.”
The police arrived four minutes later.
Teresa calmly stepped away from the door.
She claimed she only wanted clothing she had left behind after the party.
She had no clothing inside my house.
Then Officer Daniels asked about the key.
Teresa smiled.
“My son gave it to me.”
I had not.
The locks had been replaced that afternoon.
The key in her hand was for the new lock.
I stared at it.
Only three copies existed.
One was mine.
One belonged to Amy.
The third had been given to the locksmith temporarily during installation.
Detective Reed contacted the locksmith.
Thirty minutes later, we had another problem.
The locksmith’s assistant was Teresa’s nephew on my mother’s side.
A man named Kyle Mercer.
I barely knew him.
Apparently, Teresa knew him very well.
Kyle admitted making the duplicate.
He claimed Teresa said I had asked for it.
Reed did not believe him.
Neither did I.
Teresa was arrested again for violating the temporary no-contact order Rachel had obtained.
This time, she did not go quietly.
As officers led her toward the cruiser, she turned toward Amy standing behind me.
“You think you won?”
Amy did not answer.
Teresa smiled.
“You have no idea what your husband signed.”
The words stayed with me all night.
The next morning, Rachel searched deeper.
She found a document filed eight months earlier.
It was not connected to my house.
It was connected to my construction business.
Three years before Frederick was born, I had started a small engineering consulting company on the side.
It had grown faster than expected.
The company was now worth several million dollars.
I owned seventy percent.
Or at least I thought I did.
The document Rachel found claimed that I had transferred fifteen percent of my ownership into Bradley Family Holdings.
The signature looked like mine.
The notarization looked legitimate.
And the notary had certified that I personally appeared before her.
I had never met her in my life.
Rachel looked at me.
“If this transfer survives scrutiny, your mother may claim part ownership of your company.”
My phone buzzed.
A message had arrived from my business partner.
Connor, we have a problem.
Your mother is here.
May you like
And she brought lawyers.
TOBE CONTINUED
