The silence was arctic. Marcus’s face flushed red. «That gift was symbolic, Mom. You know that.»

«Yes, you’ve explained the symbolism. I’m a penny-pinching old woman who should be grateful for scraps.» I stood up and walked to the window. «Tell me something, Marcus. How exactly did you afford Linda’s car?»

«What do you mean?»

«I mean, $60,000 is a lot of money, even for someone with your new promotion.»

Another exchanged look. Ashley’s tell was that she touched her wedding ring when she was lying. She was touching it now.

«We saved up,» Marcus said.

«For how long? Mom, I don’t think our finances are any of your business.»

«You’re absolutely right. Your finances are none of my business, just like Linda’s purse contents are none of hers.» I turned back to face them. «But I’m curious about something else. This promotion you got, Marcus, when did that happen exactly?»

He shifted uncomfortably. «A few months ago.»

«What’s your new title?»

«Regional sales manager.»

«At the same company?»

«Yes.»

I nodded thoughtfully. «That’s interesting, because I ran into your old boss, Jim Henderson, at the grocery store last week. He mentioned they’d had to let several people go recently. Budget cuts. He was worried about you.»

Marcus went very still. Ashley’s hand was practically welded to her wedding ring. «Jim doesn’t know about internal promotions,» Marcus said finally.

«No, I suppose he wouldn’t. Especially if they didn’t actually happen.»

The kitchen fell silent, except for the tick of the grandfather clock. Finally, Ashley spoke up. «Dot, I think we should go. This conversation isn’t productive.»

«You’re probably right.» I walked them to the door. «Give Linda my regards. Tell her I hope she feels better about everything.»

As I watched them drive away, I realized the game was more complicated than I’d thought. Linda wasn’t just running a con on me. She was running one on Marcus and Ashley, too. The question was whether they were willing participants or just as much victims as I was supposed to be.

Either way, it was time to level the playing field. I spent the rest of the day playing detective, and what I discovered made my blood boil.

Marcus hadn’t gotten a promotion. In fact, according to his company’s public records, he’d been written up twice in the last six months for poor performance. The $60,000 BMW hadn’t come from his success. It had come from somewhere else entirely.

A quick check of public records showed that Marcus and Ashley had taken out a second mortgage on their house three months ago. $70,000, approved in October. Right around the time Linda would have been gathering all that financial intelligence from her little surveillance operation in my house.

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The pieces were falling into place, and the picture they formed made me sick to my stomach. Linda had spent months collecting information about my finances, my property values, my late husband’s pension. Then somehow, she’d convinced my son to go into debt to buy her an expensive gift, probably with promises about how it would all work out in the end.

I had a feeling I knew what those promises involved. My laptop screen showed the results of another search I’d been dreading: Dorothy Williams’s property records. Sure enough, there it was.

My house had been appraised three months ago, an appraisal I’d never authorized, never been present for, and never seen the results of. The estimated value made my heart skip a beat. $450,000. Tom and I had bought this house for $60,000, thirty years ago.

We’d had no idea it had appreciated so dramatically, but apparently, Linda Chen had known exactly what it was worth.

I called the appraisal company, using my most confused elderly lady voice. «Hello, this is Dorothy Williams on Elm Street. I’m calling about the appraisal that was done on my property in October. I seem to have misplaced the paperwork.»

«Of course, Mrs. Williams. Let me pull that up. Yes, here it is. October 15th. The appraisal was ordered by Marcus Williams for estate planning purposes.»

Estate planning. My estate, being planned while I was still very much alive. «And he was authorized to order this? How exactly?»

«Well, he’s listed as your power of attorney on the request form. He provided all the necessary documentation.»

Power of attorney. I thanked the woman and hung up, my hands shaking with rage. I had never, ever granted Marcus power of attorney over anything, but apparently, someone had created paperwork claiming otherwise.

I drove to my lawyer’s office without calling ahead. Margaret Patterson had handled Tom’s will and our estate planning for 20 years. If anyone had filed power of attorney documents, she would have copies.

«Dorothy!» Margaret looked surprised to see me. «I wasn’t expecting you today. How are you holding up?»

«I need to see my files, Margaret. All of them. Especially anything involving power of attorney.»

Her face grew serious. «Dorothy, is everything all right?»

I explained about the appraisal, about Marcus’s supposed authorization, about Linda Chen and her surveillance photos, and her mysterious financial advice. Margaret listened with growing alarm.

«Dorothy, I’ve never prepared any power of attorney documents for you. You were very clear after Tom died that you wanted to maintain complete control of your affairs.»

«Then how did Marcus get authorization to order an appraisal of my house?»

Margaret was already turning to her computer. «Let me check something.» Her fingers flew over the keyboard, then stopped. Her face went white.

«What is it?»

«Someone filed a power of attorney document with the county clerk three weeks ago. It’s notarized and appears to grant Marcus Williams complete authority over your financial and property matters.»

The room spun a little. «That’s impossible. I never signed anything like that.»

«Dorothy, I need you to look at something.» She turned her monitor toward me. There on the screen was a legal document bearing my name and signature. It looked official, complete with a notary seal and witness signatures.

It was also a complete forgery. «The signature looks like yours,» Margaret said carefully.

I studied it closely. «It’s close, but look at the ‘y’ in Dorothy. I always loop it twice. This only has one loop, and I never dot my ‘i’s with circles. I use plain dots.» I pointed to several inconsistencies in the handwriting. «This is a very good forgery, but it’s not my signature.»

Margaret’s expression was grim. «Dorothy, if someone forged legal documents to gain control of your assets, this is fraud. Serious fraud. We need to call the police.»

«Not yet,» I said quickly. «I need to understand the full scope of what they’re planning first. If I report this now, they’ll just destroy evidence and claim it was all a misunderstanding.»

«Dorothy, this is dangerous. If they have fake power of attorney documents, they could sell your house, drain your accounts, anything.»

I thought about Linda’s bank statements, about her son the elder fraud attorney, about the BMW that Marcus couldn’t actually afford. «I think they’re planning exactly that, but I want to catch them in the act.»

Margaret looked horrified. «I can’t advise you to wait on this.»

«You’re not advising me. I’m telling you what I’m going to do.» I stood up, feeling more determined than I had in years. «But I need you to do something for me. I want to change my will.»

«Change it how?»

I smiled, and it wasn’t a nice smile. «I want to leave everything to charity, effective immediately. Make it ironclad, Margaret. No loopholes, no contests, no way for Marcus or anyone else to inherit so much as a penny.»

«Dorothy, are you sure? You’re angry right now, and decisions made in anger…»

«I’m not angry, Margaret. I’m clear-headed for the first time in months.» I thought about my $3 piggy bank and $60,000 worth of BMW. «I’m done being taken advantage of by people who think love comes with a price tag.»

As I drove home, I felt lighter than I had since Tom died. For the first time in this whole mess, I was three steps ahead instead of three steps behind. Linda Chen and my son thought they were playing chess with a helpless old woman.

They were about to learn that this old woman had been watching, learning, and planning. And unlike them, I actually knew the rules of the game. Tomorrow, the real fun would begin.

The next morning brought the kind of crisp January air that makes everything seem possible. I was humming while I made coffee, planning my day, when the phone rang. Linda Chen’s voice was honey-sweet and full of concern.

«Dorothy, darling, I hope you’re feeling better after our little misunderstanding yesterday.»

«Oh, Linda, I’m feeling wonderful. Thank you for asking.»

«That’s so good to hear. Listen, I was hoping we could talk. Just the two of us, woman to woman. Marcus and Ashley are so worried about you.»

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I almost laughed. Of course they were worried. They’d probably spent all night wondering how much I actually knew about their little scheme. «I’d be happy to talk, Linda. Why don’t you come over for coffee this afternoon?»

«Actually, I was thinking we could meet somewhere neutral. That lovely little café downtown? Say, two o’clock?»

Neutral territory. She was being careful now, making sure our conversation couldn’t be recorded or interrupted. «That sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.»

I spent the morning preparing for what I suspected would be Linda’s first serious attempt at manipulation. I dressed carefully. My best sweater. Tom’s wedding ring prominently displayed. Just a touch of lipstick. I wanted to look like a harmless widow, someone who might be easily convinced to make poor decisions.

The café was nearly empty on a Tuesday afternoon. Linda had chosen a corner table where we could talk privately, and she’d arrived early to secure the position. I noted the way she’d positioned herself with her back to the wall, where she could see everyone coming and going. This wasn’t a grieving widow having coffee with a friend. This was a predator preparing to strike.

«Dorothy, you look lovely today,» Linda said, standing to hug me. «I’m so glad we could do this.»

«Me too, dear. It’s nice to have some girl time.»

We ordered coffee and small-talked for a few minutes about the weather. Her new car. How thoughtful Marcus was. Then Linda leaned forward with that concerned expression she’d perfected.

«Dorothy, I want you to know that Marcus and Ashley are very worried about you. They think you might be feeling left out, maybe a little jealous of our relationship.»

I widened my eyes innocently. «Jealous? Oh my goodness, why would they think that?»

«Well, the questions yesterday about my son, about my finances… it felt a little intrusive, like maybe you were trying to find reasons not to trust me.»

«Linda, I hope you don’t think I was prying. I was just making conversation.»

She reached across the table and patted my hand. «Of course, sweetie. I know you meant well. But here’s the thing, and I hope you won’t be offended, but Marcus has shared some concerns about your financial situation.»

Here we go. I made myself look confused. «My financial situation?»

«He’s worried that you’re not being strategic about your assets. You know, planning for the future, making sure your money works as hard as possible for you.»

«I think I’m doing fine, dear. Tom left me well-provided for.»

Linda’s smile became more intense. «But Dorothy, are you really maximizing your potential? That beautiful house of yours, for instance… it’s worth so much money just sitting there. You could be leveraging that equity, making investments that would secure your future.»

«Investments?»

«Well, yes. Marcus mentioned that you’ve been talking about maybe downsizing, finding something more manageable. And I happen to know some people who specialize in helping seniors transition their assets in tax-advantaged ways.»

I blinked slowly, as if processing this information. «Tax-advantaged ways?»

«It’s complicated, but basically, there are legal strategies that can protect your wealth from estate taxes while giving you access to much more liquid capital. You could sell the house to an investment group I work with, then lease it back at a very reasonable rate. You’d have hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest. Plus, you could stay right where you are.»

The audacity was breathtaking. She was proposing that I sell my house to her associates, then rent it back from them, essentially paying them to live in my own home while they controlled the asset.

«That sounds… complicated,» I said carefully.

«It is, which is why you need experts to handle it. People you trust.» She squeezed my hand. «Dorothy, I’ve become very fond of you. You’re like the mother I never had. I want to help you make the smartest decisions possible.»

The mother she never had. While her actual son called her every day and worried when she didn’t come home. «And Marcus agrees with this plan?»

«Oh, Marcus is very excited about it. He could help manage your investments, make sure you’re getting the best returns. It would be a wonderful way for you two to work together on securing your future.»

There it was. The full scope of the con. Sell my house to Linda’s associates. Give Marcus control of the proceeds and somehow trust that they’d all act in my best interests while I paid rent to live in my own home.

«It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this, Linda.»

«I have, because I care about you, Dorothy. We all do.» She leaned back, confident now that she had me considering the bait. «Of course, timing is important with these kinds of strategies. The investment group I’m thinking of only takes on new clients at certain times of the year.»

«When would that be?»

«Well, we’d need to move fairly quickly, within the next few weeks probably.»

Of course, create urgency. Pressure me to make a decision before I had time to think it through or consult with anyone who might talk sense into me.

I nodded thoughtfully. «This is a lot to consider, Linda. I’d need to think about it carefully.»

«Of course, sweetie, but don’t think too long. Opportunities like this don’t come around often.»

As we said goodbye in the parking lot, Linda hugged me warmly. «I’m so glad we had this talk, Dorothy. I feel like we understand each other so much better now.»

I hugged her back, smiling sweetly. «Oh, Linda, I think you’re absolutely right. I understand perfectly now.»

Driving home, I couldn’t stop grinning. Linda had just confessed to a plan that amounted to elder fraud, real estate scam, and conspiracy to commit theft. She’d handed me everything I needed to destroy her, Marcus, and Ashley in one tidy conversation.

But I wasn’t ready to spring that trap yet. First, I wanted to see how far they were willing to go. Because something told me Linda’s little investment group proposal was just the beginning of what they had planned for my assets. And I was very curious to find out exactly how desperate they’d become to get their hands on my money.

Christmas Revenge Story. Chapter 7. 11.

I didn’t have to wait long to see how desperate they’d become. Three days after my enlightening coffee date with Linda, Marcus showed up at my door with a folder full of official-looking documents and the kind of smile that used to work when he was eight years old and had broken something expensive.

«Mom, I brought those investment papers Linda mentioned. I thought we could go through them together.»

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I ushered him into the living room, noting how his eyes immediately went to the family photos on the mantelpiece. Photos of him graduating college, getting married, holding his children for the first time—all funded by parents who’d sacrificed to give him the best life possible. The irony clearly wasn’t lost on him because his jaw tightened before he looked away.

«These are quite comprehensive,» I said, flipping through page after page of legal gibberish designed to confuse and intimidate. Reverse mortgage applications, investment portfolio transfers, property liquidation agreements. «My goodness, Marcus, you’ve been busy.»

«Linda’s friends are very thorough. They want to make sure everything is done properly. Legally.»

I raised an eyebrow at that last word. «Legally. Yes, that’s important, isn’t it?» I set the papers aside and looked directly at my son. «Marcus, I need to ask you something and I want you to tell me the truth. Are you in some kind of financial trouble?»

His rehearsed composure cracked slightly. «What makes you ask that?»

«Well, let’s see. You buy a $60,000 car you can’t afford for a woman you’ve known eight months. You take out a second mortgage on your house. You claim to have gotten a promotion that your company has no record of. And now you’re pressuring me to liquidate my assets for mysterious investment opportunities.» I smiled sweetly. «Call it mother’s intuition.»

Marcus ran his hands through his hair, suddenly looking older than his 35 years. «Mom, it’s complicated.»

«I’m sure it is. Help me understand.»

For a moment, I thought he might actually tell me the truth. His shoulders sagged and he stared at his hands like a little boy caught stealing cookies. Then his phone buzzed and I saw Linda’s name on the screen. Whatever spell of honesty had been building broke immediately.

«Look, Mom, the bottom line is this. You’re sitting on a gold mine here. This house, Dad’s pension, your savings. But it’s not working for you. It’s just sitting there while inflation eats away at its value.»

«And Linda’s investment group can fix that?»

«They specialize in helping seniors maximize their assets. You could be making ten times what you’re earning now in interest alone.»

I nodded thoughtfully. «Ten times. That’s quite a return. What’s their track record with other clients?»

Marcus’s eyes shifted away from mine. «They’re very exclusive. They don’t advertise their client list for privacy reasons.»

«Of course not. And you’ve met these mysterious investors personally?»

«Linda handles all the client relations. She has experience with these kinds of high-level financial strategies.»

«Does she now? What kind of experience exactly?»

«Mom, why are you being so suspicious? Linda is trying to help us.»

«Help… us? Marcus.» I leaned forward, my voice gentle but firm. «Do you remember when you were 12 and you wanted that expensive bicycle for Christmas? The one that cost more than we could afford?»

He looked confused by the change in subject. «Yeah, I remember.»

«Do you remember what your father and I did?»

«You… you worked extra shifts. Dad picked up weekend construction jobs. You both sacrificed to get me that bike.»

«That’s right. We sacrificed for you because that’s what parents do. We put your happiness above our comfort.» I paused, letting that sink in. «Now I want you to think very carefully about what you’re asking me to do here.»