Linda slowly opened the final folder.<\/p>\n
Unlike the others, this one was thin.<\/p>\n
Only six pages.<\/p>\n
But every page had one thing in common.<\/p>\n
The same last name.<\/p>\n
Dawson.<\/p>\n
Dale\u2019s breathing became shallow.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Linda looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t said a word yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what you\u2019re looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know exactly what I\u2019m looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n
She slid the first page toward Paula.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a business registration filed in May of 1998.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paula frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRead the second name.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did.<\/p>\n
Her lips moved silently before the color drained from her face.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026Dale Dawson.\u201d<\/p>\n
He immediately shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was nineteen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t even know what I was signing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned another page.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one is from eight months later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Again, Dale\u2019s name appeared.<\/p>\n
This time beside the woman from the photograph.<\/p>\n
Her name was printed clearly across the top.<\/p>\n
Janice Holloway.<\/strong><\/p>\n Colleen let out a slow breath.<\/p>\n \u201cI prayed I was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know her?\u201d Paula asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew her better than I ever wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n The room fell silent.<\/p>\n Colleen folded her hands together.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the late nineties, she traveled from town to town giving \u2018free financial planning\u2019 seminars for seniors.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember those.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou remember the cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n She gave me a sad smile.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember the widows.\u201d<\/p>\n Linda quietly continued.<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Holloway never owned the companies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo why was she there?\u201d Paula asked.<\/p>\n \u201cShe found the people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd someone else handled the paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n Linda tapped Dale\u2019s name.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a short time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026that someone was him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo!\u201d Dale shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t part of anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou signed the documents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI signed what my uncle handed me!\u201d<\/p>\n The kitchen became quiet again.<\/p>\n That was the first time anyone had heard about an uncle.<\/p>\n Paula stared at him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve never mentioned an uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t remember,\u201d Paula repeated.<\/p>\n \u201cYou remember Boyd from work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou remember every football score from college.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou remember what I ordered on our first date.\u201d<\/p>\n Her voice began to shake.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you don\u2019t remember the uncle who supposedly had you signing legal papers?\u201d<\/p>\n Dale looked away.<\/p>\n \u201cI was embarrassed.\u201d<\/p>\n Linda reached into the folder again.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is one more document.\u201d<\/p>\n She unfolded a yellowed newspaper clipping.<\/p>\n The headline read:<\/p>\n LOCAL ELDER FRAUD INVESTIGATION ENDS WITHOUT CHARGES.<\/strong><\/p>\n Beneath it was a grainy photograph.<\/p>\n Three people were walking out of the courthouse.<\/p>\n Janice Holloway.<\/p>\n A man whose face had been circled in blue ink.<\/p>\n And, several steps behind them\u2026<\/p>\n A much younger Dale.<\/p>\n Paula covered her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told you,\u201d Dale said quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cI worked for my uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n Linda looked directly at him.<\/p>\n \u201cThen explain something.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n She placed one final page on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cThis ledger was recovered from the storage unit Janice Holloway abandoned two years after the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody moved.<\/p>\n Linda pointed to a handwritten column.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery family she visited was listed here.\u201d<\/p>\n Names.<\/p>\n Addresses.<\/p>\n Dates.<\/p>\n Amounts.<\/p>\n Some entries had check marks.<\/p>\n Others had question marks.<\/p>\n Halfway down the second page\u2026<\/p>\n I saw my own name.<\/p>\n Marguerite Ellis.<\/strong><\/p>\n Next to it, in faded blue ink, were four words.<\/p>\n \u2018WAIT UNTIL HUSBAND DIES.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n The room spun.<\/p>\n Paula gasped.<\/p>\n Colleen burst into tears.<\/p>\n I gripped the edge of the table to keep from falling.<\/p>\n Slowly\u2026<\/p>\n very slowly\u2026<\/p>\n I looked up at Dale.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t looking at me.<\/p>\n He was staring at that sentence as though he had never seen it before.<\/p>\n Then he whispered five words that chilled every person in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought she destroyed that ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n The words on the yellowed ledger seemed to grow larger with every passing second.<\/p>\n WAIT UNTIL HUSBAND DIES.<\/strong><\/p>\n My own name.<\/p>\n My own address.<\/p>\n Written decades before I ever sold the Ridgeway house.<\/p>\n Linda carefully closed the folder.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted Mrs. Ellis to see this before anyone else did.\u201d<\/p>\n Paula looked as though she might faint.<\/p>\n \u201cMom\u2026someone planned this?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Colleen answered before I could.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t just plan it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey waited.\u201d<\/p>\n Dale suddenly slammed both hands on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen that ledger before.\u201d<\/p>\n Linda didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n Instead, she asked one simple question.<\/p>\n \u201cThen why did you say you thought it had been destroyed?\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n A long, painful silence.<\/p>\n Finally Dale lowered his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026I misspoke.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Linda replied calmly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou reacted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Paula stepped backward until she reached the kitchen counter.<\/p>\n She stared at her husband as though she were seeing him for the first time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat aren\u2019t you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI already told you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Her voice became firmer.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been answering questions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou haven\u2019t been telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Dale looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what you wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n I shook my head.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I wanted was a son-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n His shoulders dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I got\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026was a man who counted my bedroom like rental property.\u201d<\/p>\n The words hit him harder than I expected.<\/p>\n For the first time, guilt crossed his face.<\/p>\n Real guilt.<\/p>\n Then it disappeared.<\/p>\n He straightened his back.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we\u2019re putting everything on the table\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026let\u2019s put everything on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n He reached into his wallet.<\/p>\n From behind his driver\u2019s license, he pulled out a folded piece of paper.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve carried this for four years.\u201d<\/p>\n Paula frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n He unfolded it carefully.<\/p>\n It was a check.<\/p>\n The amount was handwritten.<\/p>\n $180,000.<\/strong><\/p>\n Payable to:<\/p>\n Marguerite Ellis.<\/strong><\/p>\n The date was four years old.<\/p>\n \u201cI offered this to your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n Paula turned toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen that check.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI handed it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou refused it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou tore it up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI most certainly did not.\u201d<\/p>\n Dale held it higher.<\/p>\n \u201cI kept it because I knew this day would come.\u201d<\/p>\n Linda stepped closer.<\/p>\n \u201cMay I?\u201d<\/p>\n He hesitated.<\/p>\n Then he handed her the check.<\/p>\n She studied it for less than ten seconds.<\/p>\n Then she smiled.<\/p>\n Not happily.<\/p>\n Knowingly.<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Paula asked.<\/p>\n Linda flipped the check over.<\/p>\n \u201cThe back is blank.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf Mrs. Ellis refused it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026why didn\u2019t your bank cancel it?\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody answered.<\/p>\n Linda continued.<\/p>\n \u201cIf she tore it up\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026how is it still intact?\u201d<\/p>\n Dale swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cI kept it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said she tore it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI mean\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He stopped.<\/p>\n He had trapped himself.<\/p>\n Again.<\/p>\n Linda placed the check beside the ledger.<\/p>\n \u201cOne lie creates another.\u201d<\/p>\n Paula slowly covered her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even know what\u2019s true anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n Colleen walked across the kitchen and wrapped an arm around her niece.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Paula looked up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n Colleen pointed toward me.<\/p>\n \u201cShe has never lied to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears rolled down Paula\u2019s cheeks.<\/p>\n She looked at me with the same eyes she had as a little girl after waking from a nightmare.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n Before I could answer\u2026<\/p>\n Linda\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n She glanced at the screen.<\/p>\n Her expression changed instantly.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n Instead, she listened for several seconds before quietly saying,<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re certain?\u201d<\/p>\n Another pause.<\/p>\n Then she closed her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026no.\u201d<\/p>\n Every person in the kitchen stared at her.<\/p>\n She slipped the phone back into her pocket.<\/p>\n \u201cI just received a call from the county records office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Paula whispered.<\/p>\n Linda looked directly at me.<\/p>\n \u201cMrs. Ellis\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve found another deed.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat deed?\u201d<\/p>\n Linda took a slow breath.<\/p>\n \u201cThe deed to this house.\u201d<\/p>\n I frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n She answered with seven words that turned every face in the room white.<\/p>\n \u201cIt no longer matches the one you signed.\u201d<\/p>\n PART 5: THE NAME HIDDEN IN THE FILE Linda slowly opened the final folder. Unlike the others, this one was thin. Only six pages. But every page had one thing … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-drama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6323"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6332,"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6323\/revisions\/6332"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readviralstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}PART 6: THE FIRST PERSON WHO LIED WASN\u2019T DALE<\/h1>\n
CLICK HERE TO READ CONTINUE PART 7>>8<\/a><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"