Chapter 9 - The Truth About the Past
The fluorescent lights of the private bank room hummed softly as I carefully unfolded the remaining documents from Evelyn’s safety deposit box. The revelation that my parents' divorce had never been legally finalized hung in the air like an electric charge, shifting every assumption we had ever held about our family history.
Patrick lowered himself heavily into the leather chair opposite me, his calloused hands trembling slightly as he touched the edge of the unserved court papers stamped with a 20-year-old court seal.
"She hid the process server's affidavit," Patrick murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "When I went down to Tucson for that construction contract, Brenda told me not to come back. But she never actually filed the final decree. She just kept the retainer money I sent for legal fees, pocketed it, and told everyone I abandoned you both."
"Why would she do that?" I asked, looking up from the documents. "If she hated you so much, why not just get the divorce?"
"Control," Detective Miller said, leaning against the wood-paneled doorframe with his arms crossed. He had accompanied us as an observer to ensure no illegal asset concealment occurred during the opening of the vault. "If a marriage was never legally dissolved, she retained spousal rights to any property or assets acquired by either party during the marriage—including Evelyn's estate, and any commercial holdings in this county."
Jason let out a short, bitter laugh. "Unbelievable. She played the long con for decades, milking everyone for sympathy while secretly trying to siphon off Grandma's assets."
I reached back into the metal box and pulled out the heavy velvet jewelry box Grandmother Evelyn had mentioned in her letter. I popped the brass clasp and opened the lid.
Inside didn't sit diamonds or rubies, but something far more valuable: a thick, leather-bound diary with a small brass lock, accompanied by a spare key resting on a silver chain. On the cover, written in Evelyn’s sharp handwriting, were the words: The Truth About Brenda.
"We need to read this," I said quietly, sliding the diary across the table toward Patrick. "If there’s anything else Mom is hiding—especially regarding Chloe or the house—we need to know before she posts bail."
Before Patrick could pick up the diary, my phone buzzed violently on the table.
It wasn't a text message this time. It was a video call request from an unknown number.
I hit accept.
The screen flickered, revealing Chloe’s tear-stained, furious face. She was sitting in the front seat of her car, parked outside the county jail downtown.
"You did this," Chloe hissed, her voice trembling with unbridled rage as she stared directly into her phone camera. "You had Mom arrested! And now Mason's family won't even return my calls! My life is completely destroyed, Alyssa!"
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"You destroyed your own life, Chloe," I replied, keeping my voice ice-cold. "By lying, stealing, and using people. And Mom is in jail because she tried to blackmail Aunt Laura and burglarize her apartment."
"You think you've won everything, don't you?" Chloe screamed hysterically, tears flying from her eyes. "Well, guess what? Mom told me everything about Grandma's safety deposit box before the cops took her away! There's a clause in Grandma's original will that you don't know about! The house isn't even legally yours!"
