to Mr. Bellamy’s house.
I nearly waited until morning.
But I couldn’t.
I sat beside her on the guest-room bed.
“Mom.”
Her eyes opened.
“David?”
“Where were you on March 14?”
Her entire face changed.
Only for a flicker.
But I saw it.
“Why?”
“Vanessa told me to ask.”
Mom looked away.
My heart started pounding.
“Mom?”
She slowly sat up.
“David, you’re tired.”
“Where were you?”
Silence.
Then:
“With Harold.”
I froze.
“What?”
“I met Harold that afternoon.”
“About the trust?”
“Yes.”
I stood.
“But Harold said the amendment was forged.”
“It was.”
“Then why were you meeting with him?”
Mom did not answer.
I stared at the woman who raised me.
The person I trusted more than anyone alive.
“Mom.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I was trying to protect you.”
My stomach twisted.
“From Vanessa?”
She whispered, “From the truth.”
The next morning, Harold arrived before seven.
