PAGE 6
That afternoon, Arthur began making calls.
Certified notices were prepared.
Property records were requested.
Bank documents were examined.
The legal process moved quickly.
But Harold Vance wasn’t going to surrender quietly.
By evening, Mara received a phone call.
It was Harold.
She almost didn’t answer.
Then she did.
“What do you want?”
His voice was furious.
“You’ve been talking to an attorney.”
“Yes.”
“You think some papers are going to take my house away?”
Mara remained silent.
Harold laughed bitterly.
“You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Mara looked at her sleeping daughter.
“I know exactly who I’m dealing with.”
“You’re making a mistake.”
“No.”
“You’ll regret this.”
Mara’s voice became colder.
“You should have thought about regret before you put my sick child out in the rain.”
There was silence.
Then Harold hung up.
The following morning, Arthur called.
“He hired a lawyer.”
Mara closed her eyes.
“I knew he would.”
“He’s claiming the transfer was invalid.”
“Can he prove that?”
“Not so far.”
“But?”
Arthur paused.
“He may try to claim Richard wasn’t mentally competent when he signed the documents.”
Mara’s stomach tightened.
“That isn’t true.”
“I know.”
“He was sick, but he knew exactly what he was doing.”
“I know.”
“Can they destroy everything Richard did?”
“No.”
Arthur’s voice was firm.
“But we need evidence.”
“What kind?”
“Medical records. Witnesses. The notary. Financial records. Anything showing Richard understood the transaction.”
Mara thought for a moment.
“I know someone.”
“Who?”
“The nurse who cared for him.”
Mara spent the next several hours making calls.
The nurse remembered Richard.
She remembered his conversations.
She remembered him asking questions about his estate.
She remembered him telling her that he wanted his wife and children protected.
By the end of the day, Arthur had another witness.
Then another.
Then the notary confirmed the signing.
Richard had been lucid.
He had understood everything.
He had signed willingly.
And he had made his wishes unmistakably clear.
Harold’s challenge began falling apart.
But Arthur still looked concerned.
Mara noticed.
“What is it?”
“The second property.”
“What about it?”
“I found something.”
He turned his computer toward her.
A property record appeared on the screen.
Mara stared.
The address meant nothing to her.
Arthur pointed to the owner.
“Richard.”
Mara’s eyes widened.
“He owned this?”
“Yes.”
“When did he buy it?”
“Years ago.”
“Why didn’t I know?”
Arthur looked at her.
“Because it wasn’t purchased in his name.”
Mara frowned.
“What?”
Arthur zoomed in.
The property had been held through a company.
A company Mara had never heard of.
But Richard was the sole beneficiary.
Arthur opened another document.
Then another.
The company had assets.
Land.
Buildings.
Investment accounts.
Mara stared at the numbers.
“How much?”
Arthur hesitated.
“Enough to change your children’s future.”
Mara couldn’t speak.
Then she remembered the final words on Richard’s letter.
The house was never the whole story.
She looked at Arthur.
“Why would Richard hide all this?”
Arthur leaned back.
“Maybe because he knew if his parents discovered it, they would come after it.”
Mara’s face hardened.
“So they never knew?”
“Apparently not.”
Arthur looked at the documents again.
“And there’s something else.”
“What?”
“There is a safe connected to the property.”
Mara stared at him.
“A safe?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what’s inside?”
“No.”
“Then let’s find out.”
