Chapter 4: The Attorney’s Warning
David read the message three times.
The living room seemed to shrink around him. The ticking clock on the wall grew louder, and the refrigerator hummed behind the kitchen door where his mother had spent the afternoon washing dishes that weren't hers.
He looked at Jessica.
She was staring at his phone.
“What did the attorney say?”” she asked.
David locked the screen.
“She wants to speak with me privately.””
Jessica swallowed.
“About what?””
“That's what I'm going to find out.””
“David, I think you're making this into something it isn't. Your mother misunderstood a conversation, and now an attorney is involved. This could become a terrible mess.””
He studied her face.
“Why are you so worried about what the attorney might tell me?””
“I'm not worried!””
Her answer came too quickly.
Margaret sat quietly in her chair, rubbing her bandaged finger with her thumb.
David crouched beside her.
“Mom, did you give anyone permission to contact your attorney?””
“No, sweetheart. I called her myself after I received a letter I couldn't understand. She told me to bring all my documents to her office.””
“What letter?””
Margaret reached into her handbag again and pulled out a folded envelope. The paper was creased from being opened and closed several times.
David recognized the logo of a local legal services firm.
He opened it carefully.
The letter stated that an inquiry had been made regarding Margaret's property and that certain preliminary documents had been requested. It also advised her not to sign anything without independent legal advice.
At the bottom was a telephone number.
“Mom, when did you receive this?””
“About ten days ago.””
“And you didn't tell me?””
Margaret gave him a sad smile.
“You were working so hard. I didn't want to bring you another problem.””
David closed his eyes briefly.
Another problem.
His mother had begun treating her own safety as an inconvenience to him.
He couldn't bear it.
“You are never a problem to me,” he said.
“Do you hear me?””
Margaret nodded, though tears had begun to gather in her eyes.
Jessica rose abruptly.
“I can't sit here while you both look at me as though I've committed some terrible crime.””
David stood.
“Then tell us what happened.””
“I've already told you!””
“No. You've told us you were in debt. You've told us you wanted my mother to sell her house. You haven't explained why an attorney believes someone tried to act on her behalf.””
Jessica grabbed her phone from the coffee table.
“I need some air.””
“Jessica, sit down.””
She stopped.
For several seconds, they stared at each other.
Then she slowly put her phone back.
David's voice softened, but his expression remained firm.
“I don't want to fight with you. I want the truth. If you made a mistake, tell me.
If someone else is involved, tell me. But I won't allow Mom to be frightened in her own home.””
Jessica lowered herself onto the sofa.
“Fine,” she whispered.
“Call the attorney.””
David stepped into the hallway and dialed the number from the message.
A woman answered after two rings.
“Mr. Carter? This is Helen Brooks.””
“Yes. I received your messages. My mother is here with me. Can you explain what's happening?””
“I can explain some of it, but I need to be careful about discussing confidential information without your mother's consent. Is she available to speak?””
David returned to the living room and handed Margaret the phone.
“It's Ms. Brooks, Mom.””
Margaret held the phone with both hands.
“Hello, Helen. It's Margaret.””
The attorney's voice was calm and reassuring.
“Mrs. Carter, I'm glad you've spoken to your son. First, I want you to know that no transfer of your property has been completed. Your house remains yours.””
Margaret exhaled shakily.
“Thank goodness.””
“However, someone contacted my office claiming to have authority to discuss your property. They knew your address, your date of birth, and some details about your finances.””
David watched his mother's face.
“Who was it?”” Margaret asked.
“The caller identified herself as a family representative. She did not provide a valid authorization, and we did not disclose any protected information. When I asked for written proof of her authority, the caller ended the conversation.””
“Did she give you her name?”” David asked.
There was a pause.
“I'd prefer to discuss the details directly with Mrs. Carter after verifying her identity. I can say that the information supplied by the caller raised concerns.””
Jessica stood up.
“Give me the phone.””
David turned.
“What?””
“I need to explain something to her.””
Margaret held the phone closer to herself.
“Please don't take it from me, Jessica.””
The quiet request stopped everyone.
Jessica's face twisted with frustration.
“I wasn't going to hurt you!””
David stepped between them.
“Then stop trying to control every conversation she has.””
Jessica backed away.
On the phone, Helen continued.
“Mrs. Carter, I strongly recommend that you arrange an in-person appointment. Bring any letters, documents, text messages, or notes relating to your property. Do not sign anything or share further financial information until we've reviewed the situation.””
“I will,” Margaret said.
“And one more thing. If anyone has pressured you to leave your current residence, please tell me. That information may be relevant to your circumstances.””
Margaret glanced at David.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Someone has.””
When the call ended, David helped his mother put the documents back into her handbag.
Then he turned toward Jessica.
“I want to see every document you have relating to Mom's property.””
“I don't have any documents.””
“Then this should be easy.””
Jessica pressed her lips together.
“You're treating me like a suspect.””
“I'm treating this seriously because someone tried to act on my mother's behalf without her permission.””
“I told you I didn't call the attorney!””
“And I heard you.””
“Then why don't you believe me?””
David held her gaze.
“Because I don't know what to believe anymore.””
The words hurt her more than a shout would have.
Jessica sat down slowly.
For a moment, David saw the woman he had fallen in love with five years earlier. The woman who used to leave handwritten notes in his lunch bag, who laughed so hard at bad movies that she cried, who had once driven forty minutes through a storm to bring him medicine when he had the flu.
He wondered where that woman had gone.
Or whether he had simply refused to see what was happening.
His phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a message from Helen.
Please check whether your mother has received any unexpected bank notifications or requests to verify her identity.
David read it aloud.
Margaret frowned.
“Actually, I received a strange text last week. It said there had been an attempt to update my contact information.””
David's stomach tightened.
“What did you do?””
“I ignored it. I thought it was a mistake.””
“Do you still have the message?””
Margaret nodded.
She opened her old phone and scrolled through her messages with trembling fingers.
“There.””
David took the phone and read the screen.
The message claimed that a request had been made to change the telephone number associated with Margaret's account. It instructed her to call a number if she had not authorized the change.
He immediately recognized the danger.
“Mom, don't reply to anything like this again. We'll contact your bank using the number printed on your card.””
Jessica was watching him.
“People receive scam messages all the time,” she said.
“It doesn't mean anyone in this house is responsible.””
“That's true,” David replied.
“Which is why we're going to establish the facts instead of making assumptions.””
He photographed the message with Margaret's permission and sent a copy to Helen.
Then he helped his mother stand.
“Come on. You're going to rest.””
As they reached the stairs, Margaret stopped.
“David?””
“Yes, Mom?””
“If all of this becomes too much, I can go back to my house. I don't want you losing your marriage because of me.””
David turned toward her.
“Listen to me. You didn't create this situation. You don't have to disappear to make other people comfortable.””
Margaret's lower lip trembled.
He kissed her forehead and helped her upstairs.
When he returned to the living room, Jessica was sitting in the dark with her phone pressed to her ear.
She hadn't noticed him.
Her voice was barely audible.
“I told you to stop contacting people about that house.””
A pause.
“No, she hasn't signed anything.””
Another pause.
Then Jessica whispered words that made David stop in the doorway.
“You promised me this would be over before David found out.””
He stood perfectly still.
Jessica turned her head.
Their eyes met.
Her phone slipped from her fingers and landed on the sofa.
“David,” she breathed.
He looked at the phone, then at his wife.
“Who were you talking to?””
Jessica didn't answer.
The screen lit up with an incoming message.
David could read only the first line from where he stood.
You need to tell him about the money before I do.
May you like
And beneath it was a name he had never expected to see connected to his family.
*Claire.*
