Chapter 4 - THE SAFE
The safe combination bothered me.
Amy hadn’t given it to Teresa.
Neither had I.
Then Amy remembered something.
Three months earlier, Teresa asked whether we had Frederick’s birth certificate in case of an emergency.
Amy opened the safe in front of her.
Teresa watched.
That was probably enough.
The security camera in the upstairs hallway showed Teresa entering our bedroom several times while Amy was downstairs.
One recording showed Mason going in with her.
Twelve minutes later, they came out carrying a folder.
The date?
Six weeks before Frederick’s birthday.
This had not been an idea born during the party.
The party happened after the documents were already copied.
Then police recovered text messages from devices obtained through the proper process.
Teresa to Mason:
Once Connor signs the transfer, the house stays in the family no matter what Amy does.
Mason:
He’s not going to sign if her name is on it too.
Teresa:
Then we need her signature first. She signs whatever Connor says is household paperwork.
My skin went cold.
There was no evidence they had successfully transferred the house.
That mattered.
The draft was unsigned.
The deed remained legally ours.
But intent mattered too.
They were discussing how to obtain signatures without explaining what the document actually did.
Then another message:
Amy won’t question it if she thinks it’s insurance.
I read it twice.
My wife had not only been treated like unpaid staff.
May you like
She had been treated like an obstacle to property.
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