Chapter 11 - Betsy’s Second Story
Aunt Betsy had spent days pretending to help us.
She had warned us about Teresa’s backup plan.
She had cried.
She had acted terrified.
Now her name was attached to a company that had purchased a fraudulent lien against my assets.
I called her immediately.
No answer.
Ramirez sent officers to her house.
She was gone.
For the first time, I wondered whether every helpful thing she had told us had been calculated.
Maybe she had not been escaping Teresa.
Maybe she had been distracting us.
Police traced Betsy’s company.
It had been created online using her information.
The filing fee had been paid with a prepaid card.
That meant she could still be innocent.
Or she could be covering her tracks.
Then Amy remembered something.
At the birthday party, Betsy had laughed when Amy was sent to the kitchen.
She had repeated Teresa’s cruel comments.
She had helped humiliate my wife.
Her later guilt did not erase that.
That afternoon, Betsy finally called.
She sounded out of breath.
“I need you to listen.”
“Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“Connor, Leonard is looking for me.”
“Why?”
“Because I took something.”
I looked at Ramirez.
He signaled for me to keep her talking.
“What did you take?”
“A ledger.”
“What ledger?”
“Teresa kept records.”
“Payments.”
“Loans.”
“Names.”
“Everything.”
Betsy explained that she had secretly removed the ledger during the birthday party.
She knew Teresa was committing financial fraud.
She planned to protect herself.
But once the police arrived, she panicked.
“Why didn’t you turn it over?”
“Because my name is in it.”
That answered plenty.
“What did you do?”
Betsy started crying.
“I signed documents.”
“I helped Teresa create fake invoices.”
“How much money did you take?”
“Twenty thousand.”
I closed my eyes.
Another relative.
Another betrayal.
“Where is the ledger?”
“In a safe place.”
“Bring it to the police.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because Leonard contacted me.”
“He said if I turn it over, he’ll destroy my daughter.”
I almost laughed at the absurdity.
“He’s already running.”
“You think that means he’s powerless?”
Betsy’s voice dropped.
“He has copies of everything.”
“Not just your family.”
“Other families.”
I looked at Ramirez.
“What are you talking about?”
Betsy whispered.
“Your mother wasn’t Leonard’s first victim.”
That changed the case completely.
According to Betsy, Leonard had spent years finding desperate people with wealthy relatives.
He loaned them money.
Encouraged them to exaggerate ownership claims.
Then helped them forge paperwork.
Once the fraud was complete, he took the property.
Teresa had believed she was using Leonard.
In reality, Leonard had been teaching her how to destroy herself.
“Where are you?”
I asked again.
Betsy hesitated.
Then I heard a sound in the background.
A door opening.
She stopped breathing.
May you like
Someone said her name.
The line went dead.
