Chapter 14 - MY MOTHER UNDER OATH
Mom lied in the first seven minutes.
Not about something complicated.
Not about a transaction from twenty years earlier.
About Christmas.
Evelyn began gently.
"Mrs. Bellamy, did you host a family gathering on December thirty-first?"
"Yes."
"Were your grandchildren present?"
"Some of them."
"Were Lily and Toby Mercer present?"
"Briefly."
"Did you give gifts to the grandchildren?"
Mom paused.
"We exchanged gifts."
"Did you give Lily a gift?"
"I don't recall."
I almost laughed aloud.
Evelyn did not blink.
"It was thirteen days ago."
"There was a lot happening."
"Did you give Toby a gift?"
"I don't remember."
Evelyn placed a photograph on the table.
It had been taken by Garrick's wife during the party and posted online before everything exploded.
Stacks of gifts surrounded Garrick's children.
Lily sat beside me with empty hands.
Toby looked down at the floor.
Mom's own caption beneath the original post read FAMILY FIRST.
Evelyn slid the image closer.
"Does this refresh your memory?"
Mom's attorney objected.
"Relevance."
Evelyn answered without looking at him.
"Bias, motive, and credibility."
Then she looked at Mom.
"Did you intentionally exclude Clara's children from gift giving?"
Mom's mouth tightened.
"I was teaching them gratitude."
There it was.
The same sentence.
Under oath.
Evelyn nodded.
"Thank you."
Mom looked confused.
She did not understand that Evelyn had wanted the answer exactly as given.
The deposition moved to the house.
Mom admitted I had co-signed.
Then admitted I had made most payments.
Then denied knowing about the default provision.
Evelyn showed her the agreement.
Mom's initials appeared beside the clause.
"Is that your handwriting?"
"It appears to be."
"Did Clara force you to initial it?"
"She pressured me."
"How?"
"She said the loan would not happen otherwise."
Evelyn paused.
"Because the bank would not approve the loan otherwise?"
Mom realized the trap.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"Clara has always used money to control me."
I stared at the table.
The projection was so complete it almost fascinated me.
Evelyn moved to the trust.
"When did you first learn Arthur Bellamy intended Clara to succeed him as trustee?"
"I don't remember."
"Before his death?"
"Possibly."
"Did you tell Clara?"
"It wasn't my place."
My jaw tightened.
Evelyn continued.
"Did you sign distributions from that trust?"
"As trustee."
"Who appointed you?"
"Arthur."
"Document?"
Mom's attorney leaned in.
Mom answered anyway.
"There were papers."
"Which papers?"
"The amendment."
"The amendment bearing Clara's signature?"
"Yes."
"Were you present when Clara signed it?"
Mom hesitated.
"No."
My heart pounded.
The video proved otherwise.
Evelyn let the silence stretch.
"You weren't present?"
"No."
"Where was it signed?"
"I don't know."
"Did Marjorie Klein notarize it in your presence?"
"No."
Another lie.
"Did you ever deliver paperwork to Ms. Klein for notarization?"
"I don't recall."
Evelyn changed direction.
"Were you in Arthur Bellamy's study on the night he died?"
Mom stopped moving.
Her lawyer leaned toward her.
They whispered.
Then Mom answered.
"I visited my father that evening."
"Was Garrick with you?"
"I don't remember."
"Do you remember your son being in the room when your father collapsed?"
"It was traumatic."
"Is that a yes?"
"I don't remember."
"Did you call 911 immediately?"
Mom's face tightened.
"We called for help."
"Immediately?"
"As soon as we understood what was happening."
"How long did that take?"
"Seconds."
Evelyn looked at me.
Then back at Mom.
"Six minutes and twelve seconds?"
Mom went pale.
Her lawyer spoke sharply.
"What is the basis for that question?"
Evelyn smiled.
"Mrs. Bellamy can answer if she knows."
Mom stared at her.
"I don't know what you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything."
Evelyn opened a folder.
"I'm asking whether you waited six minutes and twelve seconds before anyone called emergency services."
Mom whispered to her attorney again.
Then answered.
"No."
One clear word.
One provable lie.
Evelyn nodded.
"Let's mark Exhibit Twenty-Seven."
The monitor in the deposition room turned on.
Mom's face changed before the video even played.
She knew.
I watched recognition move through her.
"Where did you get that?"
Her lawyer put a hand on her arm.
"Margaret."
Too late.
Evelyn sat back.
"You recognize it?"
Mom said nothing.
The video began.
Her younger self entered Grandfather's study.
Garrick followed.
Mom stared at the screen.
For the first time since New Year's Eve, the performance disappeared.
No wounded widow.
No betrayed mother.
No fragile older woman pushed from her home.
Just fear.
Real fear.
The recording reached Grandfather's collapse.
Mom's attorney stopped the deposition.
"We are taking a break."
Evelyn nodded.
"Of course."
Mom stood too fast.
Her chair hit the wall.
She looked at me.
"You have no idea what he did to me."
Her attorney grabbed her arm.
"Do not speak."
Mom pulled away.
"He ruined my life."
I stood.
"Who?"
"My father."
"How?"
Her lawyer stepped between us.
"This conversation is over."
Mom shouted around him.
"He took Adrienne from me!"
Adrienne was sitting outside.
She heard.
The door opened behind us.
"What?"
Mom froze.
Adrienne stood in the doorway.
Her face had lost all color.
"What did you say?"
Mom looked trapped.
Then angry.
"You weren't supposed to hear that."
Adrienne laughed once.
"That's your favorite kind of truth, isn't it?"
Mom's eyes filled.
"Arthur forced the adoption."
Adrienne stopped.
"You told me you chose it."
"I was nineteen."
"You said you didn't want a baby ruining your life."
"Because that's what he made me say."
Adrienne stepped into the room.
"Why?"
Mom's attorney tried to intervene.
No one listened.
Mom pointed toward the frozen image of Grandfather on the screen.
"He threatened to cut me off."
"So you gave me away?"
"I had no money."
"Colin was my father."
"He had no money either."
"Then why keep seeing me?"
Mom started crying.
"Because you were my daughter."
Adrienne's face twisted.
"And Clara?"
Mom went silent.
"Wasn't she your daughter too?"
The question struck everyone in the room.
Mom looked at me.
Then back at Adrienne.
"It was different."
Adrienne shook her head.
"No."
She stepped backward.
"It was exactly the same."
Mom reached for her.
"Adrienne."
"Don't."
"Please."
"You used me against her."
"I was trying to give you what Arthur denied you."
"With Clara's money."
Mom flinched.
"It should have been mine."
There it was.
The sentence beneath everything.
Not fairness.
Not protection.
Not motherhood.
Ownership.
"Why?" I asked.
Mom turned toward me.
"Because I was his daughter."
"So?"
"He left everything to grandchildren."
"Grandmother left the shares to me."
Mom's face changed.
She had not expected me to know.
"Eleanor hated me."
"Did she?"
"She judged me for Adrienne."
Adrienne went still.
Mom kept talking.
Once she started, twenty-one years seemed to pour out.
"Your grandmother decided you were good and Garrick was greedy and I was damaged."
"She left you income for life."
"Income."
Mom spat the word.
"Permission money."
"So you took control."
"I took what should have been mine."
Evelyn said quietly, "That's an admission."
Mom's lawyer closed his eyes.
Mom realized too late.
"I didn't mean legally."
Evelyn's expression stayed neutral.
"We'll let the transcript reflect what you meant."
Mom sat down.
For the first time, she looked old.
Not fragile.
Just tired.
I almost felt sorry for her.
Then Evelyn resumed the video.
On screen, younger Mom stopped Garrick from calling 911.
Present-day Mom stared at the image.
She whispered, "I thought he was already gone."
No one answered.
The video clearly showed Grandfather moving.
"I panicked."
Still no one answered.
Then she said the sentence that changed the criminal investigation.
"Colin told me six minutes wouldn't matter."
Evelyn paused the video.
"Colin was there?"
Mom shook her head.
"On the phone."
"You called him?"
"Garrick did."
I turned.
"The video doesn't show Garrick making another call."
Mom looked at me.
"He used the cordless phone in the hallway before Arthur entered."
"Why?"
She closed her eyes.
"Because Colin told us where Arthur kept the documents."
Evelyn leaned forward.
"And what else did Colin tell you?"
Mom started shaking.
"That if Arthur collapsed, we should find the trust papers before calling anyone."
"Why would he expect Arthur to collapse?"
Mom opened her eyes.
The room went silent.
May you like
"Because Colin had changed his medication."
