Chapter 2 - The Hidden Motive
I stared at the thick black ink of my mother’s signature until the letters blurred together.
They had not driven all the way to the hospital to demand two thousand dollars for a unicorn cake.
They had come here to make sure Emma did not survive the night.
"What is that?" Marcus asked, his voice raw from screaming.
I handed him the insurance document, completely unable to form the words with my own mouth.
His eyes scanned the paper, and all the color instantly drained from his exhausted face.
"They took this policy out three years ago," he whispered, tracing the date with a shaking finger.
"Becca, your parents put a five hundred thousand dollar bounty on our little girl."
My phone vibrated violently inside my jacket pocket, shattering the heavy silence between us.
It was a text message from my sister, Charlotte.
"Mom just called and said you had them assaulted by security."
"You are completely dead to this family."
"I hope you lose everything."
I typed back immediately, asking her if she knew about the massive life insurance policy.
The typing bubble appeared on the screen for three long minutes before disappearing completely.
Charlotte did not reply, but another notification instantly popped up from my banking application.
It was an automated fraud alert warning me of suspicious activity.
I opened the application and my heart stopped beating entirely.
Our joint savings account, which held the emergency funds for Emma’s medical bills, was completely empty.
Someone had authorized a wire transfer of forty-two thousand dollars just ten minutes ago.
"Marcus," I choked out, turning the phone screen toward him.
"The money is gone."
He grabbed the phone and immediately dialed the emergency fraud hotline for our bank.
The customer service agent on the speakerphone sounded painfully calm.
She explained that the wire transfer was authorized in person at a local branch using my original birth certificate and social security card.
The only person who possessed the originals of those documents was my mother.
She had stolen our entire life savings while her husband distracted us in the intensive care unit.
"Can you reverse the transfer?" Marcus pleaded with the agent.
"I am sorry, sir, but the funds have already been routed to an offshore account," the woman replied.
The heavy hospital doors swung open again, making me flinch backward.
It was not a doctor or a nurse this time.
Two police officers walked into the room, accompanied by a stern woman wearing a state identification badge.
May you like
"Rebecca and Marcus Vance?" the woman asked, looking at us with absolute disgust.
"I am with Child Protective Services, and we need to discuss how your daughter really sustained her head injuries."
