Chapter 3 - Two Years of Lies
"You spied on us?" Julia yelled, turning on me.
"I didn't have to spy," I replied calmly. "You were careless."
I walked over to the fireplace, trailing my hand along the mantle my grandfather built.
"Two years ago, Grandpa told me he was leaving everything to me."
"Because he was senile!" my father interrupted loudly.
"No," I corrected him. "Because he caught you stealing from his hardware business."
My mother gasped, taking a step back as if she had been slapped.
"He never told anyone about that," she whispered.
"He told me," I said. "He knew you would try to take the house, so he warned me to be ready."
Julia shook her head frantically.
"This is hearsay. You can't prove any of it!"
"Actually," Marcus said, checking his watch, "we have sworn testimony from the notary you bribed."
Mr. Davis dropped his briefcase. It hit the hardwood floor with a heavy thud.
"I didn't know about any bribes," the lawyer pleaded.
"Shut up, Davis!" my father barked.
"No, I won't shut up!" Davis panicked, backing toward the door. "They told me it was a clean estate transfer!"
Marcus stepped into Davis's path.
"Mr. Davis, you filed federal tax documents using those forged deeds. You are an accessory to wire fraud."
The lawyer slumped against the wall, burying his face in his hands.
I looked at my family, feeling a strange mix of pity and disgust.
"Did you really think I was just a naive twenty-eight-year-old?" I asked.
Julia glared at me with pure hatred.
May you like
"You set a trap for us."
"You built the trap, Julia," I said softly. "I just let you walk into it."
