PART 15 – The Ledger Made Me Think About Every Sunday Call When I Had Assumed Mom Was Safe and Someone Was Watching Over Her

The following days were difficult.

I kept returning to the records.

I didn't have all the answers yet.

Mr. Fenwick was still examining the financial information.

I knew it would take time.

But the ledger had changed the way I remembered the past few years.

I thought about Mom sitting at her kitchen table.

I pictured her writing figures into a notebook.

I wondered whether she had been comparing her own records with her bank statements.

I wondered when she first noticed something unusual.

The letter identified 2023 as the beginning of the problem.

That was the year I had still been calling every Sunday without suspecting anything.

I remembered those calls.

Sometimes Mom sounded cheerful.

Sometimes she seemed distracted.

Sometimes Karen would tell me Mom wasn't having a good day.

I had accepted that.

I had trusted the person closest to her.

I didn't think I needed to question every small thing.

Now I found myself remembering details differently.

One Sunday, Mom had asked whether I knew where some of her money had gone.

I remembered her saying something about an account.

At the time, I thought she was confused.

I had told her to ask Karen.

I felt ashamed remembering that.

I couldn't be certain what Mom had meant.

But the possibility that she had been trying to tell me something stayed with me.

I wished I had asked more questions.

I wished I had written down what she said.

I wished I had understood that a cloudy day didn't mean every concern she raised was meaningless.

That was something I needed to remember.

A person could have difficulty remembering one thing and still be telling the truth about another.

I didn't want to make the same mistake again.

I called Mr. Fenwick.

I asked whether he had made progress with the ledger.

He said he was still reviewing the entries and considering what additional financial records were needed.

I asked whether the records could be compared with the checking account history.

He said that was an important next step.

I told him Karen had not provided those statements.

He made a note.

I asked whether I should request them formally.

He said he would advise me about the appropriate process.

I trusted his caution.

He wasn't making accusations.

He was examining documents.

That was what I needed.

I also thought about Tyler and Hannah.

They had become involved without choosing to.

I called to thank them once more.

Tyler said they were glad the letter had reached me.

Hannah asked how my mother was doing.

I told her Mom was still at the care home.

She said she hoped Dorothy was comfortable.

I thanked her.

It was a small conversation.

But it meant something to me.

They had bought the house from my sister.

They could have ignored everything they found.

Instead, they had taken the time to bring the letter to the daughter named inside it.

I didn't know how to repay that kindness.

I could only be grateful.

That night, I took the original photograph of Mom and Dad outside the house from the shelf.

I held it for a while.

My father was gone.

Mom was living somewhere unfamiliar.

The house had been sold.

And my sister and I were no longer speaking like sisters.

I placed the photograph back.

I wasn't ready to forgive anyone.

I wasn't ready to decide what I believed about every part of the situation.

But I was ready to keep looking.

Click here to continue reading: PART 16: The Date on Mother’s Letter Was Only Six Days Before the Move, and That Detail Would Not Let Me Rest