Chapter 6 - the first fall
Ellen Price survived.
That was the first thing Margaret made clear.
Ryan realized he had been holding his breath.
"Where is she now?"
"Arizona, last I heard."
"What did Mom do to her?"
Margaret looked at Robert.
Robert didn't interrupt this time.
"Ellen and Diane were friends for years. They planned charity events together. Traveled together. Their families spent holidays together."
"I don't remember her."
"You were young."
Margaret tapped the statement.
"Ellen discovered Diane had been using a charity account to pay personal expenses."
Ryan stared.
"Another account."
"Diane had explanations for everything. She always did. She said it was reimbursement. Administrative confusion. Temporary transfers."
"Was it?"
"No."
Robert sat down heavily.
"I didn't know about that until later."
Margaret continued.
"Ellen confronted Diane during the Christmas party."
"And Mom pushed her?"
"Ellen claimed Diane grabbed her arm. Ellen pulled away and fell down three steps."
"Three?"
"Not a full staircase. But enough to break her wrist."
Ryan exhaled.
"What happened?"
"Ellen refused to press charges."
"Why?"
"Because Diane convinced everyone Ellen had been drinking."
"Had she?"
"One glass of wine."
Ryan laughed once.
Of course.
Diane didn't need to prove someone was guilty.
Only make people uncertain.
"What does this have to do with Claire?"
"Claire found Ellen's statement in this box."
Robert rubbed his forehead.
"I should've destroyed it."
Margaret looked at him.
"No. You should have believed it."
"I know."
Ryan paced.
"So Claire learned about the house, the trust, and Ellen."
"Yes."
"And Mom decided Claire had to go."
Margaret nodded.
"But Claire didn't simply leave."
Ryan stopped.
"What happened?"
Robert stood.
"That's enough tonight."
Ryan turned slowly.
"Excuse me?"
"Your son is in a hospital."
"And because he's in a hospital, I want to understand what kind of woman put him there."
Robert's face twisted.
"Your mother didn't almost kill Claire."
The room went silent.
Ryan stared at him.
"I didn't say she did."
Robert realized the mistake.
Margaret whispered, "Robert."
Ryan stepped closer.
"What happened?"
His father looked twenty years older.
"Claire and Diane had an argument in the garage."
"When?"
"The night Claire left."
"About?"
"The recording."
Ryan remembered the missing memory card.
"The one from your study?"
"Claire knew it existed. She wanted it."
"What happened?"
"Diane blocked her car."
"Then?"
"Claire tried to leave on foot."
Robert struggled with the words.
"Diane grabbed her."
Ryan waited.
"They fought."
"Did Mom hurt her?"
"Claire hit her head against the side of the garage door."
Ryan stopped breathing.
"Was she okay?"
"She needed stitches."
"Where?"
"Above her eyebrow."
"Did you take her to the hospital?"
"No."
The answer was almost inaudible.
Ryan stared at his father.
"No?"
"Claire refused."
"Why?"
"Because Diane told her if a doctor saw the injury, she'd say Claire attacked her first."
Ryan thought of tonight.
Emily slapped Diane after Diane shoved Noah.
Diane had immediately rebuilt herself as the victim.
Same pattern.
Different generation.
"What did Claire do?"
"Margaret came."
Ryan turned.
Margaret nodded.
"I took her to a clinic two towns away."
"And then?"
"She stayed with me."
Ryan frowned.
"But you said you left when I was eight."
"I lived two hours away by then."
"Why didn't Claire contact me from there?"
"She tried."
Diane intercepted the letters.
Ryan already knew that part.
"What happened after?"
Margaret's face changed.
"Three weeks later, someone broke into my apartment."
Ryan felt cold.
"What was taken?"
"Only Claire's papers."
"The trust documents?"
"And the copy of Robert's recording."
Robert looked shocked.
"You never told me the recording was stolen."
"Because I didn't know whether I could trust you."
Ryan looked at his father.
Robert couldn't argue.
"Did you call the police?"
"Yes. They found no forced entry."
"Meaning?"
"Whoever entered had a key."
Ryan looked toward the front door.
"Mom?"
Margaret shrugged.
"I could never prove it."
"Did she have a key?"
"Robert had one."
Ryan looked at him.
"I kept spare keys in my office."
"Which Mom could access."
"Yes."
Ryan's phone vibrated.
A message from Emily.
Noah was being discharged.
She had taken him to her sister Lauren's house.
Ryan read the message twice.
He felt relief, then shame.
His wife and child were sleeping somewhere else because he had spent too many years telling them to tolerate his mother.
He typed:
Can I come tomorrow morning?
Emily replied:
Yes. Come alone.
Ryan put the phone away.
Margaret watched him.
"Emily?"
He nodded.
"Take care of your marriage before you try to repair this family."
"I don't know if I still have a marriage."
"You do tonight."
"How do you know?"
"Because she said tomorrow."
Ryan looked at her.
Margaret smiled sadly.
"When someone is done, they don't give you tomorrow."
Robert stood beside the window.
His phone suddenly rang.
He looked at the screen.
"Diane."
Ryan said, "Answer it."
Robert put the call on speaker.
"Diane."
Her voice was calm.
"Robert, I need you to listen carefully."
"Where are you?"
"That doesn't matter."
"It matters to the police."
Silence.
Then she laughed softly.
"So that's what we're doing?"
"You hurt Noah."
"I protected myself from Emily."
"Stop."
Diane's tone changed.
"You think Margaret is helping you?"
Robert looked toward his sister.
"How do you know she's here?"
Margaret's face changed.
Diane continued.
"Ask her what happened to the original deed."
Robert went still.
"What?"
"Ask Margaret why she never showed you page four."
Margaret whispered, "She's lying."
Diane heard her.
"Hello, Margaret."
Margaret walked toward the phone.
"Where are you?"
Diane ignored the question.
"Ryan, sweetheart, if you're listening, your aunt hasn't told you everything."
Ryan clenched his jaw.
"Neither have you."
"No. But I'm the only one who can prove who actually owns that house."
The call disconnected.
Margaret stared at Robert.
Ryan looked between them.
"What's on page four?"
Margaret said nothing.
Robert's voice became quiet.
"Margaret."
She looked at him.
"I never thought it mattered."
"What is it?"
May you like
Margaret closed the wooden box.
"Our mother changed her will six days before she died."
