Chapter 15 - My Father Was the Next Victim
The fake cancer diagnosis served one purpose.
It made the trust amendment look urgent.
According to the forged medical report, Douglas had only months to live.
That justified naming Teresa as replacement trustee immediately.
Dr. Patrick Nolan’s signature was on the report.
My mother had built the entire scheme around two false illnesses.
Mine.
And my father’s.
The police now had enough to charge Nolan.
He was arrested at a highway motel early the next morning.
Gerald remained missing.
Under questioning, Nolan broke quickly.
He admitted receiving money.
He admitted creating reports.
And then he revealed something none of us expected.
Teresa had secretly borrowed against her own house.
Nearly $300,000.
Most of the money had gone to Gerald.
“Why?”
I asked Hill.
“Because Gerald convinced her they needed cash to complete the transfers.”
“So she risked her home?”
“Yes.”
Hill looked at me.
“Your mother wasn’t simply greedy anymore.”
“She was desperate.”
That mattered.
Desperate people made dangerous decisions.
Teresa’s bond was revoked.
She was ordered back into custody.
But when deputies arrived at her house, Teresa was gone.
Her ankle monitor lay on the kitchen table.
The back door was open.
A neighbor reported seeing a dark pickup around 5 a.m.
Gerald owned a dark pickup.
Police issued alerts across Tennessee and neighboring states.
Amy and Frederick were moved temporarily to a secure location.
I stayed with them.
For twelve hours, nothing happened.
Then at 2:13 a.m., my phone rang.
My father’s neighbor was calling.
“Connor.”
She sounded terrified.
“Your dad’s front door is open.”
I called 911 while driving toward Douglas’s house with security behind me.
Police arrived first.
The living room was empty.
A chair was overturned.
Douglas’s phone lay on the floor.
There was no blood.
No sign of a major struggle.
On the kitchen table sat one envelope.
My name was written on it.
Inside was a single sentence.
SIGN THE TRUST RELEASE OR YOUR FATHER MISSES YOUR BIRTHDAY.
My thirty-fifth birthday was six days away.
Then Hill’s phone rang.
He listened for several seconds.
His expression changed.
“What?”
I demanded.
Police had located Gerald’s truck.
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It was abandoned beside the Cumberland River.
In the passenger seat was Teresa’s purse.
