Over the following months, everything unraveled.
Investigators discovered forged signatures.
Unauthorized bank transfers.
Identity theft.
Fraudulent credit-card applications.
Money I had intended for household expenses had been diverted toward vehicles, jewelry, vacations, and Mom’s investment property.
The new house renovations hadn’t been an act of generosity.
They had been camouflage.
Mom had created the image of a successful family while the woman I actually sent the money to was being slowly erased from the household.
Eventually, Kendra tried blaming everything on Mom.
Mom blamed Kendra.
Both blamed Naomi.
Neither took responsibility until prosecutors showed them the records.
The rental property was frozen.
The truck was seized as part of the financial case.
Several accounts were locked.
Mom called me seventeen times in one week.
I answered once.
“Caleb,” she sobbed, “you are destroying this family.”
I looked through the hospital window at Naomi sleeping during an infusion.
“No,” I said. “I finally stopped you from destroying mine.”
