I stayed in the parking lot with Tyler\u2019s message glowing on my phone.<\/p>\n
Barbara.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, I thought I had misread it.<\/p>\n
Of all the names that could have appeared, hers made the least sense.<\/p>\n
Barbara complained about grocery prices, pool temperature, pharmacy refills, and which restaurants overcooked fish. She presented herself as a woman who had spent most of her adult life depending on other people to handle difficult things.<\/p>\n
Business ownership did not fit anywhere in that picture.<\/p>\n
I typed again.<\/p>\n
What does Barbara have to do with your company?<\/p>\n
No answer came.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Five minutes.<\/p>\n
Then ten.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
So I called Jessica.<\/p>\n
She answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Tyler tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat depends. What did he tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEleanor, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice sounded different.<\/p>\n
Not irritated.<\/p>\n
Afraid.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said opening the books would hurt Barbara.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then Jessica whispered, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m asking you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believed her.<\/p>\n
Not because Jessica and I had suddenly become allies.<\/p>\n
Because genuine confusion has a sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas your mother ever invested in Tyler\u2019s company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLoaned him money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOwned part of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReceived money from it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica hesitated.<\/p>\n
That hesitation mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if it was from the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was from somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
She exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom got money after Dad died.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s father had died years before William.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it was repayment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAround the same time Tyler\u2019s business was expanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore William died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the message again.<\/p>\n
Barbara.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Tyler know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he helped her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was again.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n
Every person around Tyler seemed to know just enough to avoid knowing the whole thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Barbara now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Tyler?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. He went to the office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to talk to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t ambush my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has been living in Tyler\u2019s house for free while I was charged rent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat has nothing to do with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But Tyler just connected her to his company himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica went quiet.<\/p>\n
Then: \u201cI\u2019m coming over.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo my house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if you\u2019re about to dig into my mother\u2019s finances, I want to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n
She arrived forty minutes later.<\/p>\n
I had made coffee.<\/p>\n
Not because I felt hospitable.<\/p>\n
Because my hands needed something to do.<\/p>\n
Jessica sat across from me at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
Without Tyler beside her, she looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
I handed her my phone.<\/p>\n
She read the message.<\/p>\n
Then read it again.<\/p>\n
Her face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never told me this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what to believe.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first truly honest thing I had heard from her in weeks.<\/p>\n
I poured coffee.<\/p>\n
Jessica stared at the cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother doesn\u2019t have money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has some retirement income, but not much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how does she pay for everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClothes. Trips. Restaurants. Her car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sold her house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did the proceeds go?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe lives with you for free.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou pay some of her expenses?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTyler?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought not.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about the $47,500 deposit.<\/p>\n
Then something else occurred to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Barbara ever know Grant Hollis?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s eyes changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know Grant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe used to date my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat back.<\/p>\n
The answer was so unexpected that for a moment I thought I had heard incorrectly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBarbara dated Grant Hollis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor about a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe six years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
That aligned almost perfectly with the period when Tyler had brought Grant into the company.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Grant meet Tyler through Barbara?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I put down my cup.<\/p>\n
Jessica saw the significance at the same time.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant wasn\u2019t just some investor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood and began pacing.<\/p>\n
\u201cTyler said Grant was someone he met through commercial work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe both are true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Tyler knew him because of Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Tyler hide that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother hides anything that makes her look dependent.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded believable.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this is bigger than embarrassment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Barbara ever talk about helping Tyler financially?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Grant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said he was generous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow generous?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica gave me a tired look.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t audit their relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he buy her anything significant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA car.\u201d<\/p>\n
That caught me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA Lexus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe traded it later.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wrote it down.<\/p>\n
Jessica stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It\u2019s complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSame difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot if money moved through them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think my mother was part of some scheme?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica sat again.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wouldn\u2019t steal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say she did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re thinking it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m thinking Tyler warned me that opening his books would hurt her.\u201d<\/p>\n
That fact sat between us.<\/p>\n
Jessica reached for her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m calling her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut it on speaker.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost refused.<\/p>\n
Then she did it anyway.<\/p>\n
Barbara answered after three rings.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, are you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then asked, \u201cWhat was Grant Hollis\u2019s involvement with Tyler\u2019s company?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was silence.<\/p>\n
Too much silence.<\/p>\n
Barbara finally said, \u201cWhy are you asking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Tyler says company records could hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cTyler said that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s breathing became audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Eleanor?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s voice changed immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t discuss private financial matters with Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen discuss them with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara said nothing.<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s voice trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Grant invest in Tyler\u2019s business because of you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you receive money connected to Tyler\u2019s company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes or no?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI received money I was owed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is personal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Grant?\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara went quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hanging up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s voice hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t speak to me like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop treating me like I\u2019m stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I saw Jessica\u2019s hands shaking.<\/p>\n
She continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cTyler is panicking. Eleanor found company documents. There\u2019s a lawyer involved. And now your name is suddenly in the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not in the middle of anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was answer enough.<\/p>\n
Barbara hung up.<\/p>\n
Jessica stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never heard her sound like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDefensive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cScared.\u201d<\/p>\n
We sat silently.<\/p>\n
Then my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Marcus.<\/p>\n
I answered with Jessica still across from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sent the demand,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Tyler?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd company counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course there is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTyler\u2019s attorney responded unusually fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat they dispute your ownership entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on several things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey claim William\u2019s interest was extinguished through a restructuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dilution?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout his signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say consent was given through proxy.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus\u2019s answer made Jessica look up before I even spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cBarbara Danner.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
Jessica stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
I put Marcus on speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cSay that again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompany records apparently contain a proxy authorization allowing Barbara Danner to consent to the restructuring on William\u2019s behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s face drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus heard her.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know anything about such an authorization?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cWhen was it signed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus gave the date.<\/p>\n
I looked at Jessica.<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother was in Cancun that week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI paid for the trip.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus said, \u201cA proxy can be signed anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica grabbed her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. You don\u2019t understand. She was there with Grant.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
Marcus spoke first.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant Hollis?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Jessica.<\/p>\n
She looked back at me.<\/p>\n
The pieces were no longer scattered.<\/p>\n
They were beginning to touch.<\/p>\n
Grant had entered Tyler\u2019s company.<\/p>\n
Barbara had dated Grant.<\/p>\n
William\u2019s ownership had been reduced.<\/p>\n
Grant\u2019s interest later transferred to Tyler.<\/p>\n
And now Tyler\u2019s records claimed Barbara had somehow authorized the very restructuring William had disputed.<\/p>\n
I asked Marcus the only question that mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you get that proxy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already requested it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re refusing informal production.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe seek a court order.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Before that, I\u2019m asking my mother myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe already refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe won\u2019t when I\u2019m standing in front of her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica grabbed her purse.<\/p>\n
I stood too.<\/p>\n
She turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Barbara signed something on William\u2019s behalf, I deserve an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd William was my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
We stared at each other.<\/p>\n
Then Jessica gave a short, exhausted laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis family is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once, we agreed.<\/p>\n
We drove separately to Tyler\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s car sat outside.<\/p>\n
Jessica entered first.<\/p>\n
I followed.<\/p>\n
Barbara was in the family room watching television.<\/p>\n
She saw us and immediately reached for the remote.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica didn\u2019t sit.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sign a proxy for William?\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara froze.<\/p>\n
That told us enough.<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had no right to drag her into this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t. Tyler did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression shifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Tyler tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat opening his company books could hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
Jessica whispered, \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s shoulders dropped.<\/p>\n
For the first time since I had known her, she looked old.<\/p>\n
Not difficult.<\/p>\n
Not entitled.<\/p>\n
Old.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know what I was signing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you did sign something.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAuthority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo approve documents while William was sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart hammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWilliam never gave you that authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant said it was just paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant gave it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Tyler?\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara did not answer.<\/p>\n
I asked again.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Tyler know?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
That was all the answer I needed.<\/p>\n
I stayed in the parking lot with Tyler\u2019s message glowing on my phone. Barbara. For several seconds, I thought I had misread it. Of all the names that could have … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13848"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13895,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13848\/revisions\/13895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}