Chapter 10 - THE BANK ON THE HILL
Rose's old bank had merged twice, but Maya traced its records through a successor institution.
The silver key bore a stamped number that matched an older safe deposit system.
We could not simply demand access because I possessed a photograph of the key.
The bank required proof of authority and a court process to address disputed estate property.
That delay infuriated me.
Maya said the delay also protected people from having their property taken by whoever told the most persuasive story.
She filed a petition seeking preservation of estate records and identification of the box's authorized users.
Meanwhile, the police obtained information about the apartment entry and began questioning Chloe.
I didn't know whether she would tell the truth.
I did know she could no longer assume I would cover for her.
The following morning, a package arrived at Maya's office.
Inside was an old blue envelope with a broken seal.
It contained a photograph of Rose and me standing in front of her Palos Verdes house.
On the back, Rose had written a date and three initials.
R.B., D.B., M.K.
Richard Bennett.
Diane Bennett.
Martin Keene.
A photocopied bank statement showed a transfer just days before Rose's death.
The amount was three hundred eighty thousand dollars.
The recipient was Pacific Meridian Holdings.
The statement alone did not establish whether Rose had approved it.
But it made the stakes unmistakable.
Someone wanted her assets moved far beyond the reach of an ordinary family conversation.
Later that afternoon, Denise called to tell me my employer had finished an initial review.
There was no evidence I had disclosed company information or authorized a business guarantee through my work.
I could continue my leave without concern for my job.
I cried after we hung up.
Not because she had rescued me.
Because she had treated me like an adult whose facts deserved examination.
That evening, Maya received notice that Richard's attorney would challenge the preservation petition.
Attached was a sworn declaration from my mother.
In it, Diane claimed I had threatened to fabricate allegations about Rose's estate unless the family gave me control of the brokerage.
I had never asked for the brokerage.
I had barely wanted to enter its office.
Then I reached the final page.
My mother had attached a text message she claimed came from me.
The message was dated the morning after Rose died.
At the time, I had been in a hospital emergency room with a broken wrist.
May you like
And I still had the medical records.
