Chapter 5 - The Note From GrandpaAt six-thirty, she contacted the county sheriff's non-emergency line and reported suspected financial misuse, unauthorized signatures, and missing funds involving someone acting under power of attorney. A deputy arrived, photographed the scene, copied the banking records, and listened while Grandma explained what had happened at the nursing facility.
"These situations can become complicated when relatives and legal authority are involved," he said carefully. "But disputed signatures and improper use of someone else's funds go beyond an ordinary family disagreement."
"Good," Grandma said. "Because I'm not reporting a disagreement."
After he left, I asked what the envelope from my grandfather contained. She opened it at the kitchen table. Inside was the original deed from twenty-three years earlier, when she and Grandpa had refinanced the property after paying off most of their mortgage. There was also a handwritten note from him, who had passed away seven years earlier.
Keep the originals somewhere Warren cannot access if he ever begins asking about the house.
I read it twice. "You thought Dad might eventually do something like this?"
"No," Grandma said. "Your grandfather was worried he might."
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She looked at the note for a long moment. My father had always been the charming one in our family — the kind who could talk a mechanic into extending a deadline, or convince customers to pay deposits early, or reassure relatives that his next opportunity would fix the mess left by the last one. As a kid, I thought that talent made him impressive. Grandpa had apparently seen it differently.
At eight-fifteen, headlights swept across the front windows. Dad's SUV pulled into the driveway.
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