Chapter 3 - Margaret’s Final Winter
Margaret Hawthorne had never trusted Judith Mercer.
The two women first met after Elena became engaged to Trevor.
Judith arrived at Hawthorne Villa wearing a silver-blue suit and examined the rooms as though she were evaluating property at an auction.
“This place must be expensive to maintain,” Judith remarked.
Margaret smiled politely.
“It has remained standing for one hundred and twelve years. I suspect it will manage.”
Judith did not appreciate the reply.
Over time, she began presenting herself as Margaret’s financial adviser. She encouraged Margaret to invest in Mercer Development, a company controlled by Judith and Trevor.
Margaret refused.
“I do not mix my daughter’s marriage with business,” she said.
Several months before her death, Margaret discovered that Trevor had used Elena’s signature on a loan application.
The loan was rejected before any money was released, but Margaret was furious.
She summoned Trevor to the villa.
Elena had not been present, but Margaret later described the argument.
“I told him that love without honesty is merely dependence wearing perfume,” Margaret said.
Elena wanted to confront Trevor immediately.
Margaret stopped her.
“I am changing my estate plan first. I want to ensure you and Colton are protected.”
Margaret arranged a meeting with Judge Alden, who had once practiced estate law before joining the court.
He could not formally represent her because of his judicial position, but he recommended an independent attorney and agreed to witness certain documents.
Then Margaret suffered a sudden heart attack.
She died before Elena knew whether the new will had been completed.
Judith took control of the funeral arrangements.
Trevor told Elena that her mother’s estate was buried in debt. Hawthorne Villa, he claimed, had secured a private loan from Mercer Development.
Elena was too devastated to challenge him.
A document examiner later confirmed that Margaret’s signature appeared on the loan contract, so Elena accepted the result.
What she did not know was that the examiner had been hired by Judith.
Nor did she know that Judge Alden had mailed Margaret a sealed copy of her final will two days before her death.
That copy never reached Elena.
Six years passed.
Judith renovated the villa and removed Margaret’s photographs from the main rooms.
She told guests that she had rescued the neglected property.
Every Christmas, Elena received an invitation and declined.
This year, Judith insisted.
Judge Alden’s presence explained why.
Judith wanted him to see her occupying the villa confidently. She wanted him to believe any missing documents were irrelevant.
What Judith did not know was that Judge Alden had recently reviewed records belonging to Margaret’s former attorney.
Among those records was a note.
Original signed copy delivered to client’s residence. Beneficiary: Elena Hawthorne Mercer. Hawthorne Villa transferred free of debt.
The note was not enough to overturn the filed estate documents.
But it was enough to make Judge Alden suspicious.
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That was why he accepted Judith’s Christmas invitation.
And it was why Judith had ordered Trevor to destroy the blue archive box before he arrived.
