Chapter 14 - LENORA’S VERSION
Lenora finally gave a full statement in the fiduciary case through a deposition.
I did not attend.
Naomi summarized relevant portions.
Why keep Rowan’s account open?
“I believed Victor’s charitable clause was morally wrong after Rowan’s death.”
Did she understand it was legally binding?
“Yes.”
Why file active-minor forms?
“To preserve administrative continuity.”
Was Rowan alive?
“No.”
So active-minor certification false?
She paused.
“Yes.”
There.
No denial.
Why use Theo’s school?
“Because Theo represented the living continuation of that part of the family.”
Not legal.
Emotional.
Why reimburse herself?
“I advanced money constantly.”
Could she prove all?
“No.”
Some.
Not all.
Why Etta’s preschool from Rowan?
“Cormac needed help and would not ask.”
I stared at that summary.
I could afford preschool.
Lenora had decided family money should subsidize anyway.
Why the gender records?
“Organizational shorthand.”
Did she believe boys mattered more?
Her lawyer objected to relevance.
The hospital incident made it relevant emotionally, not necessarily financial.
She answered.
“I believed sons carried family responsibility differently.”
Did that justify spending?
“No.”
Then why tell Etta?
“I lost my temper.”
Again.
She did not admit pulling Etta because girl.
She claimed she wanted Theo to sit by window briefly.
Video showed force.
No deeper financial plan tied to bed.
Important.
Then the son threat.
Why say Cormac’s son gets nothing?
Lenora cried during deposition.
“I don’t know.”
Naomi said the transcript showed a long pause.
Then:
“I have been talking about Rowan’s branch for so long that I still refer to it that way.”
There.
The slip.
Not a secret living son.
Not dementia.
A financial fiction becoming linguistic habit.
Then:
“Did you mean you could stop payments?”
“Yes.”
“To whom?”
“The family expenditures I considered connected to Rowan.”
Which included Theo.
My mother had threatened me with control over a dead child’s imaginary branch.
That was the hook made literal.
Then Naomi asked why she pulled Etta from bed.
Separate.
Lenora:
“I was angry because Cormac had ignored my calls about the audit request.”
What audit request?
First Meridian had asked Lenora for current Rowan verification that morning.
She panicked.
Went to hospital.
Theo happened to be with her.
Etta was recovering.
Window conflict.
Small trigger on top of large fear.
When Etta refused to move, Lenora felt challenged.
She pulled her.
So the hospital incident was not part of a financial strategy.
It was pressure spillover.
Good.
Cause without overplanning.
Then I learned something that hurt.
Lenora had tried to call me six times while I was at the pharmacy.
I had phone on silent.
Voicemails:
Call me.
We need to talk about Rowan’s trust.
Then:
Do not contact First Meridian until you speak to me.
Then:
Cormac, you are going to ruin everything for the children.
I had not even contacted First Meridian yet.
What triggered her?
Hospital billing administrator had asked for her updated authority.
That sent a notice to First Meridian.
Their system flagged Rowan name.
The unraveling began before my question.
My question accelerated.
Coincidence.
Systems finally connecting.
Then Lenora’s deposition ended with:
“I kept the money in the family because I thought that was what a mother does after everyone else dies.”
My father.
Rowan.
Her own identity shrinking.
Sad.
May you like
Still fraud.
Understanding cannot become acquittal.
