Chapter 4 - Unraveling the Web
By midnight, the flashing lights had faded, replaced by the quiet hum of police cruisers transporting Teresa and Mason down to the precinct for booking and formal arraignment.
The remaining relatives had scattered like cockroaches when the handcuffs came out, too cowardly to defend a woman whose entire empire of lies had collapsed in a matter of minutes.
Inside the living room, the air still smelled faintly of baked fish and expensive perfume, but the festive atmosphere was entirely gone. The house was dead silent.
Amy sat on the living room sofa, wrapped in a warm blanket, while little Frederick finally slept peacefully, his fever having broken after a dose of children's ibuprofen administered by paramedics who had checked him out before clearing the scene.
Connor knelt beside the coffee table, going through the spilled papers from the fireproof safe. The financial trail was staggering.
"Look at this, Amy," Connor murmured, holding up a series of bank statements. "Every single month, the three thousand dollars I sent her for 'household and medical expenses' was being funneled into a separate commercial account. She wasn't paying our bills. She was buying lakefront property under her own name in Hendersonville."
Amy looked down at the documents, her eyes wide with shock. "She told everyone at church that you were a deadbeat son who barely gave her enough to survive. She played the victim so well, Connor... and I actually felt guilty for asking you to spend money on me."
Connor reached out, taking her cold hands in his. "You never have to feel guilty again. We’re done hiding from her. We’re done playing by her rules."
His phone buzzed on the coffee table. It was a call from Detective Miller at the precinct.
"Mr. Bradley," the detective's voice came through the speaker. "Your mother has refused to cooperate, but your cousin Mason sang like a canary the moment we threatened him with felony grand larceny. He admitted that Teresa orchestrated the whole thing. She planned to evict you and Amy right after your son's first birthday, claiming you abandoned the property due to financial incompetence."
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"Can we press full charges for forgery, elder manipulation, and identity theft?" Connor asked coldly.
"Absolutely," Miller replied. "She's not stepping foot out of holding until her arraignment hearing on Monday morning. And as for the property titles, our legal department will ensure every single forged document is nullified by sunrise."
