Chapter 6 — Two Checks

When the door closed, Grandma exhaled slowly. The house went quiet except for the fireplace and the grandfather clock in the hall. I knelt beside her chair.

“Grandma, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I needed to see what each of you would do without being told.” Her eyes filled, though her voice stayed steady. “Money doesn’t change character, Claire.

It announces it.”

Patricia explained the next steps. That afternoon I deposited the check under direct bank supervision, and the money moved into a protected account. Grandma also named me temporary trustee over another part of her estate — not because I was suddenly wealthy, but because she trusted me to follow her wishes.

The next twenty-four hours were chaos. Marcus claimed his check had been stolen, but the bank wanted proof he couldn’t provide. Linda’s attorney sent a threatening letter; Patricia answered with Grandma’s medical evaluations and recorded affidavit.