Chapter 4
Lisa lingered for a moment, staring at the front door through the iron slats. "You're going to regret this, Mom. You're going to die alone in that house, and when you do, don't expect any of us to cry for you."
I didn't answer. I released the button on the intercom.
I watched through the monitors as the three vehicles executed awkward, aggressive three-point turns on the narrow mountain road, their tires spraying gravel against the immaculate stone retaining walls I had spent thirty years planting with creeping phlox and lavender. Within three minutes, the road was empty.
David looked up at the camera, nodded once, and returned to his heated guard shack beside the secondary gate.
I let out a breath I felt like I had been holding for an entire decade.
My hands weren't shaking. My heart wasn't racing. For the first time in years, the crushing weight of expectation, disappointment, and manufactured guilt had lifted from my shoulders. The house was quiet, but it was no longer empty. It was peaceful.
The peace, however, was merely the eye of the storm.
My children were not people who accepted defeat quietly, especially when money was involved. By December 26th, the legal machinery they believed they controlled was set into motion.
Thomas Brennan called me at 9:00 a.m. sharp.
"Maggie," Thomas said, his familiar, gravelly baritone sounding amused rather than concerned. "I just received an emergency inquiry from an attorney named Bradley Vance. He claims to represent Jennifer, Michael, and Lisa."
"What are they claiming, Thomas?"
"The usual playbook when entitled adult children realize the bank has closed," Thomas replied smoothly. "They’re filing a petition with the probate court for temporary conservatorship. They’re alleging cognitive decline, susceptibility to undue influence, and erratic behavior—specifically citing that you locked them out in freezing weather and hired armed private security to guard a residential suburban home."
I took a slow sip of my coffee. "How strong is their case?"
"It’s nonexistent," Thomas said with a low chuckle. "Especially considering what we spent the last three months preparing. Dr. Sterling’s comprehensive neuro-psychological evaluation from October is already on file with the court. You scored a thirty out of thirty on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Furthermore, the transfer documents were drafted, notarized, and registered weeks before this incident occurred. But Vance has requested an expedited hearing before Judge Alvarez on January 8th."
"Let them have their hearing," I said. "In fact, Thomas, can we ensure all three of them attend in person?"