Chapter 7 - THE SECOND GRANDDAUGHTER
Amelia did not plug the flash drive into an ordinary computer.
She documented its transfer, placed it in a tamper-evident bag, and arranged for a digital forensic specialist to create an exact image. Isabella signed a statement explaining how she acquired it. Detective Ortiz received a copy through formal channels.
The process frustrated Wendy.
She wanted to open the folder immediately.
Instead, she waited two days while specialists scanned for malicious software, preserved metadata, and confirmed that the device contained files copied from a computer associated with Gregory.
When Amelia finally showed her the photograph, Wendy understood why Richard had hidden Schedule B.
The page appeared to be part of Lucía Reyes’s family trust.
It was dated seventeen years earlier and titled CONTINGENT BENEFICIARY DECLARATION.
The photograph cut off the bottom signature section, but the central paragraph was visible:
Upon verified proof of descent from Elena Marín, the trustee shall recognize Elena’s surviving biological grandchild as an equal contingent beneficiary of the Oakhill residence, subject to the conditions described in the sealed memorandum.
The name of that grandchild had been typed on a later line.
ISABELLA MARÍN SANTOS.
Wendy sat without speaking.
Amelia enlarged the image.
“This is a photograph, not proof that the document is authentic.”
“Isabella’s full name is Isabella Santos.”
“Marín may have been her mother’s surname. We still need the original trust records, drafting attorney files, signatures, and the sealed memorandum.”
“If it’s real, she owns half my home.”
“Not necessarily. The language says contingent beneficiary. Conditions matter. So does whether the declaration was validly executed, later revoked, or triggered.”
Wendy thought of Lucía.
Her grandmother had known Isabella as a teenager. Isabella had visited the house dozens of times. Lucía had cooked for her, corrected her manners, and once given her a silver bracelet for graduation.
She had never said they might be family.
“Why hide this from me?”
Amelia did not answer.
The copied messages on the drive revealed more.
Richard had obtained the photograph of Schedule B nearly a year earlier through a former employee of the law firm that created Lucía’s trust. Gregory then began cultivating a legal theory: if Isabella qualified as a beneficiary and Gregory married her, they could pressure Wendy to approve a division or sale.
But Richard did not want a lengthy trust dispute.
Alder Crest needed money immediately.
The plan evolved.
Gregory would use Wendy’s power of attorney and the disputed equity memorandum to represent that he possessed both managerial authority and a beneficial interest. Isabella would sign a consent based on her alleged contingent status. A falsified consent from Wendy would create the appearance of unanimous approval.
The house could then be pledged before anyone challenged the paperwork.
In one message, Gregory wrote:
Once the lender records the instrument, Wendy can fight about percentages later. Dad only needs the bridge period.
Another message came from Richard:
Control the scene. The garden matters. Pike must see that no one expects resistance.
The wedding had been staged for lenders.
But the messages also revealed hesitation.
Three weeks earlier, Gregory had written:
She trusted me when nobody else did. There has to be another way.
Richard replied:
Trust did not stop her from using you. Do not confuse guilt with love.
Wendy read the exchange twice.
She did not forgive Gregory.
But the words complicated the monster she had built in her mind. Gregory had resented her. Richard had exploited that resentment. Isabella had wanted the life Wendy possessed. Celeste had fed each grievance until betrayal seemed like justice.
Marcus traced several consulting payments to Alder Crest creditors. At least two hundred forty thousand dollars from Reyes Strategy Group appeared to have been used to cover Richard’s obligations.
However, some transactions carried Wendy’s digital approval.
She had not personally reviewed them, but her account had authorized them.
The authentication codes had been sent to her phone during periods when Isabella or Gregory had access.
Detective Ortiz explained that proving who entered a code would require more than suspicion.
“We’ll compare device identifiers, location records obtained through proper process, system logs, and witness accounts. Do not assume the answer before the evidence.”
Wendy asked Isabella to provide her phone voluntarily through her lawyer.
Isabella refused.
That refusal reopened every doubt.
“What if she copied the files to control me?” Wendy asked Amelia. “What if she knew about Schedule B from the beginning?”
“Then we investigate that possibility.”
Wendy returned to the Oakhill house that evening.
Gregory had moved out of the guesthouse under an agreement negotiated by counsel, but he had filed a request seeking access to company records and personal property. The civil dispute was accelerating.
Beneath the jacaranda tree, Wendy dug carefully around the place where she had found the empty sleeve.
Six inches deeper, her shovel struck metal.
She uncovered a small brass key wrapped in decayed cloth.
A number was engraved on it.
The next morning, Amelia began contacting banks where Lucía had maintained accounts.
Before any bank responded, Celeste arrived at Wendy’s gate alone.
May you like
She held the missing red leather trust binder.
“I’ll give you this,” Celeste said, “if you agree not to open whatever that key belongs to.”
