Chapter 3 - The Detective’s Discovery
Near midnight, Detective Samuel Ortiz entered my hospital room carrying a transparent evidence pouch. Inside lay the writing instrument Vanessa had tried to force into my hand.
"Your neighbor's security system captured the entire driveway," he informed me, his expression grim. "It recorded your stepfather retrieving that heavy object from his vehicle trunk."
I stared at him in astonishment. "He brought it with him intentionally?"
Ortiz nodded slowly. "The recording also captured your sister instructing him that nobody leaves without your signature."
The confrontation had not been a sudden burst of temper. It was a calculated conspiracy. Ortiz placed a printed snapshot of the transfer document on the nightstand. "Do you understand why they urgently needed your compliance today?"
"No."
"The corporate entity named on these forms had already committed this estate to a commercial resort developer. The final transaction was scheduled for tomorrow morning."
"They have no right to sell Grandmother’s legacy."
"They believed your signature would make it legally binding."
Before I could process the depth of their betrayal, the door swung open once again. Vanessa stepped inside holding a duplicate set of papers. Her attire was rumpled and her appearance slightly rushed, yet she maintained her customary air of superiority. I glanced toward Detective Ortiz, who stood partially obscured by the window drape. Vanessa remained entirely unaware of his presence.
"How did you gain entry?" she demanded, glaring at me.
"I informed the desk staff I was your relative."
She marched right up to the mattress. "Dad is currently detained because of your stubbornness."
"He is detained because he assaulted me."
"He simply lost control under pressure."
"He broke my bones."
"You provoked his reaction."
She dropped the contract onto my blanket alongside an uncapped pen. "Sign this tonight. Dad will state he was merely trying to prevent you from damaging property. Grant will adjust his statement once he realizes the magnitude of what is at stake."
"You expect me to commit perjury?"
"I expect you to safeguard our household."
"By handing over forty acres of land?"
"You never earned it."
"Neither did you."
Her expression turned ice cold. "You flew away and left us to bear the burden of caring for Margaret."
"I funded her private nursing care, paid the property insurance, and transmitted funds monthly."
"You only sent money to soothe your own guilt."
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I reached to press the nurse assistance button. Vanessa lunged forward, grabbing the edge of my cast. Agony seared through my limb. Detective Ortiz stepped smoothly out from behind the curtain, his badge flashing under the fluorescent lights.
"Remove your hands from her immediately."
