“A lot more than my mother realized. She thought the insurance was all there was.”
I looked back at the document.
“Tom was managing this trust?”
“He was supposed to protect it. But the lawyer believes some of the money was transferred into accounts connected to Uncle Tom’s development company.”
I struggled to process what I was reading.
“Does your mother know?”
“Yes. She’s arranging to meet the lawyer again.”
I lowered the phone.
“Jake, this is serious. Your uncle needs to answer for what happened, but you and your mother need proper legal advice before making accusations.”
“I know.”
He took a breath.
“But there’s one more thing.”
I closed my eyes briefly.
“Please tell me.”
Jake’s voice became quieter.
“My mother said the reason Uncle Tom insisted I stay here this summer wasn’t just because he wanted to help me prepare for college.”
I stared at him.
“What do you mean?”
