Chapter 6 - Grace’s ExplanationGrace requested one supervised meeting with Daniel.
She arrived without jewelry, wearing a plain gray dress that made her look smaller than he remembered.
“I did everything while you were gone,” she said. “Your mother fought every decision.”
“She was allowed to.”
“She left the stove on. She missed pills. She accused me of moving things she misplaced.”
Some accusations were true. Evelyn’s stroke had affected memory, and she occasionally confused dates.
That complexity had protected Grace.
She took genuine mistakes and used them to discredit every accurate complaint.
Grace insisted Bellweather began as a way to pay herself for full-time care. Daniel had sent money irregularly, and Evelyn refused to discuss wages.
“Then why forge the deed?”
Grace’s face tightened.
“I thought the house was fair compensation.”
“You thought you could decide that for her.”
“She would have given everything to you.”
“That still didn’t make it yours.”
Grace began crying.
Daniel believed the exhaustion beneath her tears was real.
May you like
So were the isolation, fraud, and hunger she had inflicted.
A person could be overwhelmed and still become dangerous.
