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00:00:00After my husband died, his kids said,
00:00:02We want the estate, the business, everything.
00:00:06My lawyer begged me to fight.
00:00:08I said, Give it all to them.
00:00:11Everyone thought I'd lost my mind.
00:00:13At the final hearing, I signed the papers.
00:00:16The kids smiled, until their lawyer turned pale when he read.
00:00:20I'm glad to have you here.
00:00:22Follow my story until the end and comment the city you're watching from,
00:00:26so I can see how far my story has reached.
00:00:30The funeral flowers were still fresh when they decided to destroy me.
00:00:33I sat in Floyd's leather chair in his home office,
00:00:37the same chair where he'd spent countless evenings
00:00:39reviewing business documents and planning our future together.
00:00:42Twenty-two years of marriage,
00:00:45and now I was supposed to pretend that the two men standing before me
00:00:48had any right to decide my fate.
00:00:51Sidney, Floyd's eldest son,
00:00:54wore his father's death like an expensive suit,
00:00:56perfectly tailored to his advantage.
00:00:58At forty-five, he possessed the same commanding presence Floyd once had,
00:01:04but none of the warmth.
00:01:05His steel-gray eyes swept over me with the cold calculation of a businessman
00:01:10evaluating a bad investment.
00:01:13Colleen, he said,
00:01:15his voice carrying that patronizing tone I'd grown to hate over the years.
00:01:20We need to discuss some practical matters.
00:01:22Edwin,
00:01:23three years younger but somehow looking older with his prematurely thinning hair and soft jaw,
00:01:29stood beside his brother like a loyal lieutenant.
00:01:33Where Sidney was sharp edges and calculated moves,
00:01:36Edwin was passive aggression wrapped in false concern.
00:01:40We know this is difficult,
00:01:42Edwin added,
00:01:43his voice dripping with synthetic sympathy.
00:01:46Losing dad so suddenly,
00:01:48it's been hard on all of us.
00:01:51Hard on all of us.
00:01:53As if they'd been the ones holding Floyd's hand during those long nights in the hospital.
00:01:58As if they'd been the ones making impossible decisions about treatments and pain management.
00:02:04They'd shown up for the funeral, of course.
00:02:07Sidney flying in from his law practice in San Francisco.
00:02:10Edwin driving up from Los Angeles where he ran some vague consulting business.
00:02:15But during the three months of Floyd's illness,
00:02:17when it really mattered,
00:02:19I'd been alone.
00:02:20What kind of practical matters?
00:02:23I asked.
00:02:24Though something cold was already settling in my stomach.
00:02:28Sidney exchanged a look with Edwin,
00:02:30a silent communication perfected over decades of shared secrets and mutual understanding.
00:02:36It was the kind of look that excluded everyone else in the room.
00:02:40Everyone like me.
00:02:42The estate,
00:02:44Sidney said simply.
00:02:45Dad's assets,
00:02:47the properties,
00:02:48the business interests.
00:02:49We need to sort out how everything will be distributed.
00:02:52I felt my fingers tighten around the arms of Floyd's chair.
00:02:56The leather was worn smooth from years of his hands in the same position,
00:03:00and I found comfort in that familiar texture.
00:03:03Floyd and I discussed this extensively.
00:03:06He assured me that everything was taken care of.
00:03:10Well, yes,
00:03:12Edwin said,
00:03:13his tone suggesting that I was missing something obvious.
00:03:16Dad did make provisions.
00:03:18But perhaps he didn't explain the full complexity of the situation.
00:03:24Sidney pulled out a manila folder from his briefcase and set it on Floyd's desk.
00:03:28The same desk where Floyd had kissed me goodbye every morning for 22 years.
00:03:34The folder was thick,
00:03:35official looking,
00:03:37intimidating in the way that legal documents always were.
00:03:40The will is quite clear,
00:03:43The will is quite clear,
00:03:43Sidney continued,
00:03:44opening the folder with theatrical precision.
00:03:47The house here in Sacramento,
00:03:49valued at approximately $850,000,
00:03:53goes to Edwin and myself jointly.
00:03:55The villa at Lake Tahoe,
00:03:57$750,000,
00:04:00also goes to us.
00:04:01The business assets,
00:04:03roughly $400,000,
00:04:05will be distributed between us as well.
00:04:09Each number hit me like a physical blow.
00:04:11Our home,
00:04:13the place where Floyd and I had built our life together,
00:04:16where we'd hosted Christmas dinners and anniversary parties,
00:04:19where we'd talked about growing old together,
00:04:21gone.
00:04:22The villa where we'd spent our honeymoon,
00:04:25where we'd celebrated our 10th anniversary,
00:04:27where Floyd had told me he loved me for the first time,
00:04:30gone.
00:04:31And what about me?
00:04:33I asked quietly.
00:04:34Edwin shifted uncomfortably,
00:04:37but Sidney's expression remained unchanged.
00:04:39Well,
00:04:40naturally,
00:04:41there's the life insurance policy.
00:04:43$200,000.
00:04:44That should be more than sufficient for your needs going forward.
00:04:49$200,000.
00:04:51For a 63-year-old woman who'd given up her career to support her husband's family.
00:04:55For someone who'd spent the last two decades managing Floyd's household,
00:05:00entertaining his business associates,
00:05:02caring for him through his illness.
00:05:05$200,000 to start over.
00:05:07I see,
00:05:09I said,
00:05:10though I didn't see at all.
00:05:12This couldn't be right.
00:05:14Floyd had promised me that I'd be taken care of,
00:05:17that I'd never have to worry about security or stability.
00:05:21It's not personal,
00:05:22Colleen,
00:05:23Edwin said,
00:05:24and the false gentleness in his voice made my skin crawl.
00:05:28It's just that dad always intended for the family assets to stay within the bloodline,
00:05:33you understand.
00:05:34Bloodline.
00:05:35As if the 22 years I'd spent as Floyd's wife,
00:05:38as Sidney and Edwin's stepmother,
00:05:40meant nothing.
00:05:41As if love and commitment were somehow less valid than genetics.
00:05:46Of course,
00:05:48Sidney added,
00:05:49we're not heartless,
00:05:50you can stay in the house for 30 days while you make arrangements.
00:05:53We think that's more than fair.
00:05:56Fair.
00:05:57They thought 30 days to uproot a life was fair.
00:06:00I looked around the office,
00:06:02taking in the familiar details that would soon belong to someone else.
00:06:06The bookshelf where Floyd kept his first edition novels.
00:06:10The window that looked out onto the garden we'd planned together.
00:06:14The small photograph on his desk,
00:06:16not of Sidney or Edwin,
00:06:17but of Floyd and me on our wedding day,
00:06:20both of us laughing at something I could no longer remember.
00:06:24There is one more thing,
00:06:26Sidney said,
00:06:27and something in his tone made me look up sharply.
00:06:30He pulled another document from the folder,
00:06:32this one smaller,
00:06:33but somehow more ominous.
00:06:35Dad accumulated some significant medical bills during his final illness.
00:06:40The insurance covered most of it,
00:06:42but they're still about $180,000 outstanding.
00:06:46Since you were his wife and presumably made medical decisions jointly,
00:06:50the hospital and doctors are looking to you for payment.
00:06:53The room seemed to spin slightly.
00:06:57$180,000 in debt,
00:06:59with only $200,000 from the life insurance to cover it.
00:07:03That would leave me with $20,000 to rebuild my entire life.
00:07:07But surely the estate,
00:07:09I began.
00:07:11The estate assets are tied up in probate,
00:07:14Edwin interrupted smoothly.
00:07:16And given the specific terms of the will,
00:07:18those debts are considered separate from the inherited properties.
00:07:22It's unfortunate,
00:07:23but that's how these things work legally.
00:07:25I stared at them both,
00:07:27these two men who'd called me mom at their father's funeral just three days ago.
00:07:32Sidney with his perfectly pressed suit and cold eyes.
00:07:36Edwin with his soft features and voice that suggested concern while delivering cruelty.
00:07:42I need some time to process this,
00:07:44I said finally.
00:07:46Of course,
00:07:47Sidney said,
00:07:48standing and straightening his jacket.
00:07:51Take all the time you need.
00:07:53But remember,
00:07:53the 30-day clock starts tomorrow.
00:07:56And those medical bills.
00:07:58Well,
00:07:59the longer they sit,
00:08:00the more complicated things become.
00:08:02They left me alone in Floyd's office,
00:08:05surrounded by the ghosts of our life together,
00:08:07and the crushing weight of my new reality.
00:08:10The silence was deafening.
00:08:12No comfort,
00:08:14no reassurance,
00:08:15no suggestion that perhaps we could work together to find a solution that honored both Floyd's wishes
00:08:21and my basic human need for security.
00:08:23I sat there as the afternoon light shifted across the room,
00:08:27creating shadows that seemed to mock the brightness Floyd and I had once shared here.
00:08:32My hands found the small drawer in Floyd's desk where he'd always kept his personal items.
00:08:38Inside,
00:08:39beneath old receipts and business cards,
00:08:42my fingers touched something unexpected,
00:08:44a small key I'd never seen before.
00:08:47The key was old brass,
00:08:49worn smooth with handling.
00:08:50It didn't fit any lock I could think of in the house,
00:08:53but Floyd had kept it in his most private space.
00:08:57Why?
00:08:58As I held the key up to the light,
00:09:00I noticed Edwin's car was still in the driveway.
00:09:03Through the window,
00:09:04I could see him and Sidney standing beside it,
00:09:07their heads close together in animated conversation.
00:09:10They were celebrating,
00:09:11I realized.
00:09:13Dividing up their inheritance,
00:09:15planning what they'd do with their newfound wealth.
00:09:18Neither of them looked back at the house where their stepmother,
00:09:21their father's wife,
00:09:23sat alone with the ruins of her life spread out before her.
00:09:27But as I watched them drive away,
00:09:29something strange happened.
00:09:30Instead of the despair I expected to feel,
00:09:33a different emotion began to take root.
00:09:35It started small,
00:09:37just a whisper in the back of my mind,
00:09:40but it grew stronger with each passing moment.
00:09:43They thought they'd won.
00:09:45They thought they'd successfully erased me from Floyd's legacy,
00:09:49reduced me to nothing more than an inconvenience
00:09:52to be managed with the minimum legal requirements.
00:09:54What they didn't know,
00:09:56what they couldn't possibly know,
00:09:57was that Floyd had always been more cunning
00:10:00than either of his sons realized,
00:10:02and after 22 years of marriage,
00:10:05some of that cunning had rubbed off on me.
00:10:07The key in my hand seemed to grow warmer as I held it,
00:10:11as if it were trying to tell me something.
00:10:13Tomorrow, I would find out what lock it opened.
00:10:16Tonight, I would let Sidney and Edwin enjoy their victory.
00:10:20Martin Morrison had been Floyd's attorney for 15 years,
00:10:23and in all that time,
00:10:25I'd never seen him look as uncomfortable
00:10:27as he did sitting across from me in his downtown office.
00:10:30His usually perfect composure was cracked,
00:10:33revealing the concerned man beneath the professional facade.
00:10:37Colleen, he said,
00:10:39removing his glasses and cleaning them
00:10:40for the third time in 10 minutes.
00:10:43I have to advise you in the strongest possible terms,
00:10:46this is not the right decision.
00:10:49The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows
00:10:52of his 15th-floor office,
00:10:54casting everything in sharp relief.
00:10:56The Sacramento River glittered below us,
00:10:59and somewhere in those gleaming office buildings across the water,
00:11:03people were making rational decisions about their lives.
00:11:06I envied them.
00:11:08I understand your concerns, Martin, I said,
00:11:12my voice steadier than I felt.
00:11:14But my mind is made up.
00:11:16He set his glasses down and leaned forward,
00:11:19his expression earnest.
00:11:21You could fight this.
00:11:22The will.
00:11:24There are irregularities.
00:11:26Questions about Floyd's mental state during the final revision.
00:11:29We could contest it.
00:11:31Delay probate.
00:11:33Force Sidney and Edwin to negotiate.
00:11:36I'd spent the sleepless night reading and re-reading
00:11:39the documents Sidney had left with me,
00:11:41trying to understand how Floyd, my Floyd,
00:11:45could have written me out of our shared life so completely.
00:11:48The language was cold, clinical,
00:11:51reducing 22 years of marriage to a few paragraphs
00:11:53about adequate provision and appropriate arrangements.
00:11:58How long would a contest take, I asked.
00:12:02Months, possibly years.
00:12:04But Colleen, you'd have a real chance.
00:12:07I know Floyd, and this will.
00:12:09It doesn't match the man I knew.
00:12:11The man who spoke about you with such love and respect.
00:12:15Love and respect.
00:12:17Had I imagined all those conversations
00:12:19where Floyd assured me I'd be taken care of?
00:12:22Had I misunderstood his promises
00:12:24that I'd never have to worry about my future?
00:12:28And during those months or years,
00:12:30what would I live on?
00:12:32Sidney made it clear that the medical debts
00:12:34are my responsibility.
00:12:37$180,000, Martin.
00:12:39Even if I won a contest eventually,
00:12:41I'd be bankrupt long before then.
00:12:44Martin's jaw tightened.
00:12:47Sidney and Edwin are playing hardball.
00:12:49But that's exactly why you shouldn't give them
00:12:52what they want.
00:12:53They're counting on you being too intimidated
00:12:55or too exhausted to fight.
00:12:57He was right, of course.
00:12:59Every instinct I had screamed that this was wrong,
00:13:03that Floyd had not intended to leave me
00:13:05with almost nothing while his sons inherited millions.
00:13:08But instincts didn't pay medical bills
00:13:11or put a roof over my head.
00:13:13What if I just gave them everything they want?
00:13:16I asked quietly.
00:13:19Martin blinked.
00:13:21I'm sorry?
00:13:22What if I signed whatever papers they need,
00:13:25transferred all claims to the properties,
00:13:27walked away cleanly?
00:13:28How quickly could that be done?
00:13:31Colleen, you can't be serious.
00:13:33You'd be giving up your legal rights to challenge.
00:13:36How quickly, Martin?
00:13:37He stared at me for a long moment,
00:13:40his professional mask slipping to reveal genuine concern.
00:13:43If you waived all claims and signed the proper releases,
00:13:47a week, maybe two.
00:13:49But why would you even consider that?
00:13:51I looked out at the river again,
00:13:54watching a small boat navigate the current.
00:13:56The boat's captain seemed to know exactly where he was going,
00:14:00following some invisible map that guided him safely
00:14:03to his destination.
00:14:05Because fighting would destroy me,
00:14:07I said finally.
00:14:09Even if I won,
00:14:10I'd be a different person by the end of it.
00:14:13Bitter, exhausted, broke.
00:14:15Maybe it's better to accept what's offered
00:14:17and build something new.
00:14:19Martin leaned back in his chair,
00:14:21studying me with the intense focus
00:14:23that had made him one of Sacramento's
00:14:25most successful attorneys.
00:14:27Colleen, in 30 years of practice,
00:14:29I've never had a client voluntarily walk away
00:14:32from a seven-figure inheritance.
00:14:34There has to be something I'm missing here.
00:14:37There was something he was missing,
00:14:40but I couldn't explain it to him.
00:14:42Couldn't explain the certainty that had grown in me
00:14:44since finding Floyd's mysterious key.
00:14:47All night, I'd search the house for what it might unlock,
00:14:51checking every drawer, every cabinet,
00:14:53every storage space I could think of.
00:14:56Nothing.
00:14:57But the key felt important.
00:14:59Felt like Floyd trying to communicate something
00:15:01from beyond the grave.
00:15:03Maybe I'm just tired, I said.
00:15:07Tired of fighting?
00:15:08Tired of being seen as the greedy stepmother
00:15:11who wants to steal the son's inheritance?
00:15:13Maybe it's easier to let them have
00:15:15what they think they deserve.
00:15:17What they think they deserve?
00:15:19Martin's voice sharpened.
00:15:21Colleen, this isn't about what they deserve.
00:15:24This is about what Floyd intended.
00:15:26And I'm telling you as his attorney and friend,
00:15:28this will doesn't reflect his true wishes.
00:15:32Before I could respond, my phone buzzed.
00:15:35A text message from an unknown number.
00:15:38Mrs. Whitaker, this is Edwin.
00:15:41Could we meet today to discuss timeline
00:15:43for property transfer?
00:15:44Want to make this as smooth as possible
00:15:46for everyone involved.
00:15:48The politeness was almost worse
00:15:49than Sidney's cold directness.
00:15:51At least Sidney didn't pretend to care
00:15:54about making things smooth for me.
00:15:56They're already planning the transfer, I said,
00:15:59showing Martin the message.
00:16:01His face darkened.
00:16:02They're rushing you.
00:16:04Classic pressure tactic.
00:16:06Colleen, I'm begging you to reconsider.
00:16:08Take time to grieve,
00:16:10to process what you've lost.
00:16:12Don't make irreversible decisions
00:16:14while you're in shock.
00:16:15But I wasn't in shock anymore.
00:16:17The numbness that had carried me
00:16:19through Floyd's illness and death
00:16:21was lifting,
00:16:22replaced by something that felt
00:16:24almost like clarity.
00:16:25I couldn't fight Sidney and Edwin
00:16:28with their lawyers
00:16:28and their sense of entitlement
00:16:30and their intimate knowledge
00:16:31of Floyd's business affairs.
00:16:33But maybe I didn't need
00:16:35to fight them directly.
00:16:36If I were to sign the papers,
00:16:38I said slowly,
00:16:40what exactly would I be signing away?
00:16:43Martin sighed heavily,
00:16:45recognizing defeat.
00:16:46All claims to the primary residence,
00:16:49the Lake Tahoe property,
00:16:51the business assets,
00:16:52any joint accounts or investments.
00:16:55You'd retain only the life insurance payout
00:16:58and any personal property
00:16:59that was specifically yours
00:17:00before the marriage.
00:17:02And in exchange?
00:17:04They'd agree to handle
00:17:05the medical debts
00:17:06from the estate funds
00:17:07before distribution.
00:17:08You'd walk away clear
00:17:10of those obligations.
00:17:12That was something, at least.
00:17:15It would leave me
00:17:16with the full $200,000
00:17:17instead of just $20,000
00:17:19after debt payments.
00:17:21Still not enough
00:17:22for long-term security,
00:17:23but enough to survive
00:17:24while I figured out
00:17:25what came next.
00:17:27I need to see
00:17:28the exact language,
00:17:29I said.
00:17:30Martin opened his lap
00:17:31and began typing.
00:17:33I'll draft something
00:17:34that protects your interests
00:17:35as much as possible
00:17:36under the circumstances.
00:17:38But Colleen,
00:17:39once you sign this,
00:17:41there's no going back.
00:17:43You'll have no legal recourse
00:17:45if you later discover information
00:17:46that would have changed
00:17:47your decision.
00:17:49I understand.
00:17:51But even as I said it,
00:17:52I wondered if I really
00:17:53did understand.
00:17:54The key in my purse
00:17:56seemed to grow heavier.
00:17:57A constant reminder
00:17:58that Floyd had left me something.
00:18:00Some message or instruction
00:18:02that I hadn't yet deciphered.
00:18:04Was I making a terrible mistake
00:18:06by giving up so easily?
00:18:08Or was I being guided
00:18:09by an instinct
00:18:10that ran deeper than logic?
00:18:12My phone buzzed again.
00:18:14This time it was Sydney.
00:18:16Mother,
00:18:17we appreciate your cooperation
00:18:19in this difficult time.
00:18:21Edwin and I want to make
00:18:22the transition
00:18:23as painless as possible.
00:18:25Perhaps we could finalize
00:18:26everything by the end
00:18:27of the week.
00:18:28Mother.
00:18:29He called me mother
00:18:31when he wanted something,
00:18:32but it rang hollow now.
00:18:34Where had that familial concern
00:18:36been during Floyd's final months
00:18:38when I'd sat alone
00:18:39in hospital waiting rooms?
00:18:41They want everything signed
00:18:43by the end of the week,
00:18:44I told Martin.
00:18:46Of course they do.
00:18:47The faster they can get
00:18:48your signature,
00:18:49the less time you have
00:18:50to change your mind
00:18:51or seek a second opinion.
00:18:53He looked at me intently.
00:18:55Colleen,
00:18:56there's something about
00:18:57this whole situation
00:18:58that feels wrong to me.
00:19:01Sydney and Edwin
00:19:02are acting like they're afraid
00:19:03you might discover something
00:19:04that would complicate
00:19:05their inheritance.
00:19:07Men don't typically
00:19:08rush through probate
00:19:09unless they have reason
00:19:10to worry.
00:19:11That thought had occurred
00:19:13to me too.
00:19:14In all the years
00:19:15I'd known Sydney and Edwin,
00:19:16they'd never been
00:19:17particularly efficient
00:19:18or urgent about anything.
00:19:20Sydney was methodical
00:19:21to a fault,
00:19:22and Edwin was
00:19:23positively leisurely
00:19:25in his approach
00:19:25to business.
00:19:27This sudden push
00:19:28for quick resolution
00:19:29felt out of character.
00:19:31Maybe they're just
00:19:32eager to move on,
00:19:34I said,
00:19:35though I didn't believe
00:19:36it myself,
00:19:37or maybe they know
00:19:38something you don't.
00:19:39Martin closed his laptop
00:19:41and leaned forward again.
00:19:43Colleen,
00:19:44I'm going to ask you
00:19:45one more time,
00:19:46will you at least
00:19:47take 48 hours
00:19:48to think about this?
00:19:49Sleep on it.
00:19:51Talk to a friend,
00:19:52a counselor,
00:19:53someone who isn't
00:19:54emotionally invested
00:19:55in the outcome.
00:19:56I almost laughed.
00:19:58A friend?
00:19:59Floyd and I had been
00:20:00each other's best friends
00:20:01for 22 years.
00:20:03We'd let other
00:20:04friendships fade
00:20:05as we'd focused
00:20:06on building our life
00:20:07together,
00:20:08entertaining his
00:20:08business associates,
00:20:10managing his household.
00:20:12I'd been Floyd's wife,
00:20:14Sydney and Edwin's
00:20:15stepmother,
00:20:16but I'd never quite
00:20:17figured out who I was
00:20:18as an individual woman.
00:20:20I don't need 48 hours,
00:20:22I said.
00:20:23I've already decided.
00:20:25Martin studied me
00:20:26for a long moment,
00:20:27then nodded slowly.
00:20:29All right.
00:20:30I'll draft the papers,
00:20:32but I want everything
00:20:33in writing,
00:20:34their agreement
00:20:35to handle the medical debts,
00:20:36a clear timeline
00:20:37for when you'll receive
00:20:38the insurance payout,
00:20:40and a clause
00:20:40that protects you
00:20:41from any future claims
00:20:42related to Floyd's estate.
00:20:45Don't thank me yet.
00:20:47I'm about to help you
00:20:48make what might be
00:20:49the biggest mistake
00:20:50of your life.
00:20:52As I left Martin's office
00:20:53and walked through
00:20:54the marble lobby
00:20:55toward the elevator,
00:20:56I caught a glimpse
00:20:57of my reflection
00:20:58in the polished walls.
00:20:59The woman looking back
00:21:01at me was someone
00:21:01I barely recognized,
00:21:03older certainly,
00:21:05but also somehow
00:21:06more solid,
00:21:07more present.
00:21:08For 22 years,
00:21:10I'd been Floyd's wife,
00:21:12defined by my relationship
00:21:13to him and to his sons.
00:21:16For the first time
00:21:17since his death,
00:21:18I was being forced
00:21:19to figure out
00:21:20who Colleen Morrison
00:21:21Whitaker was
00:21:22when stripped
00:21:23of those roles.
00:21:24The elevator doors opened
00:21:26and I stepped inside.
00:21:28As we descended
00:21:29toward the parking garage,
00:21:31I touched the key
00:21:32in my purse
00:21:32one more time.
00:21:34Floyd had left me something,
00:21:36I was sure of it,
00:21:37and whatever it was,
00:21:38Sidney and Edwin
00:21:39didn't know about it.
00:21:41The key opened
00:21:42a safety deposit box
00:21:43at First National Bank
00:21:44on J Street,
00:21:45a box I never knew existed.
00:21:48I'd spent two days
00:21:49methodically searching
00:21:50every inch of our house,
00:21:52growing more frustrated
00:21:53with each empty drawer
00:21:54and meaningless cabinet.
00:21:56It wasn't until
00:21:57I was going through
00:21:58Floyd's wallet,
00:21:59the one the hospital
00:22:00had returned
00:22:01with his personal effects,
00:22:02that I found
00:22:03the small business card
00:22:04tucked behind
00:22:05his driver's license.
00:22:07First National Bank,
00:22:08with a handwritten number
00:22:10on the back,
00:22:11379.
00:22:12The bank manager,
00:22:14a kind woman named Patricia
00:22:15who remembered Floyd
00:22:16from his occasional visits,
00:22:18led me down to the vault
00:22:19with appropriate sympathy.
00:22:21Mr. Whitaker was very specific
00:22:23about this box,
00:22:24she said as we descended
00:22:26the marble steps.
00:22:27Only you and he had access.
00:22:30He opened it about
00:22:31six months ago.
00:22:33Six months ago.
00:22:35Right around the time
00:22:36Floyd's health
00:22:36had started declining,
00:22:38when he'd begun having
00:22:39those mysterious
00:22:40business meetings
00:22:41that he'd never
00:22:42quite explained to me.
00:22:43The box was larger
00:22:45than I'd expected,
00:22:46and heavier.
00:22:48Patricia left me alone
00:22:49in the small viewing room
00:22:50and with trembling fingers,
00:22:52I lifted the metal lid.
00:22:54Inside were documents,
00:22:55lots of them.
00:22:56But these weren't
00:22:57the legal papers
00:22:58I'd expected,
00:22:59wills or insurance policies
00:23:01or business contracts.
00:23:03These were personal letters,
00:23:05printed emails,
00:23:07financial statements,
00:23:08and what looked like
00:23:09surveillance reports.
00:23:11The first thing
00:23:12that caught my eye
00:23:13was a letter
00:23:13in Floyd's handwriting,
00:23:15dated just two months
00:23:16before his death.
00:23:17The envelope was marked,
00:23:19For Colleen,
00:23:20open only after reading
00:23:22everything else.
00:23:23I set that aside
00:23:25and picked up
00:23:25the next document,
00:23:26a printed email exchange
00:23:28between Sidney
00:23:29and someone named
00:23:30Marcus Crawford.
00:23:31The timestamp showed
00:23:33it was from eight months ago,
00:23:34and as I read,
00:23:36my blood grew cold.
00:23:38Marcus,
00:23:38Dad's getting worse.
00:23:40The doctors think
00:23:41he's got maybe six months.
00:23:42We need to move faster
00:23:44on the transfer protocols.
00:23:45Can you expedite
00:23:47the paperwork we discussed?
00:23:49The reply was equally chilling.
00:23:52Sidney,
00:23:52I've prepared the documents
00:23:54as requested.
00:23:55Once your father signs,
00:23:57the business assets
00:23:58will be restructured
00:23:59under the shell companies
00:24:00we established.
00:24:00The personal properties
00:24:02can be transferred
00:24:03immediately upon death.
00:24:05What about the wife?
00:24:07Colleen won't be a problem.
00:24:09She doesn't understand
00:24:10the business side,
00:24:11and by the time she figures out
00:24:12what's happening,
00:24:13it'll be too late.
00:24:15Dad trusts us completely.
00:24:18I had to read it twice
00:24:20before the meaning sank in.
00:24:22They'd been planning
00:24:23this for months.
00:24:24While I was caring for Floyd,
00:24:27driving him to doctor appointments,
00:24:29managing his medications,
00:24:30his sons were plotting
00:24:32to steal not just from me,
00:24:34but from their own father.
00:24:35The next document
00:24:36was a bank statement
00:24:37for an account
00:24:38I'd never heard of.
00:24:39Whitaker Holdings, LLC.
00:24:42The balance showed
00:24:43$4.7 million.
00:24:45Below it was a handwritten
00:24:46note from Floyd.
00:24:48Colleen,
00:24:49this is our real savings.
00:24:51The boys think
00:24:52all my money is tied up
00:24:53in the house and business,
00:24:55but I moved the bulk
00:24:56of our assets here months ago.
00:24:58I was trying to protect us.
00:25:00$4.7 million.
00:25:02We weren't poor.
00:25:03We weren't even middle class.
00:25:05Floyd had been quietly wealthy,
00:25:07and Sidney and Edwin
00:25:08had been trying to steal
00:25:09from their dying father.
00:25:12My hands shook
00:25:12as I reached for the next item,
00:25:14a folder labeled
00:25:15Private Investigation Confidential.
00:25:19Inside were photographs,
00:25:21financial records,
00:25:22and a summary report
00:25:23from someone named James Mitchell,
00:25:25licensed private investigator.
00:25:28The photos showed Sidney
00:25:29entering and leaving
00:25:30what appeared to be
00:25:31an upscale casino in Reno.
00:25:33The timestamps indicated
00:25:34he'd made multiple trips
00:25:36over the past year,
00:25:37sometimes staying
00:25:38for several days.
00:25:40The financial records
00:25:41painted an even grimmer picture.
00:25:43Sidney owed $230,000
00:25:45to various creditors,
00:25:47most of them connected
00:25:48to gambling debts.
00:25:50Edwin's file
00:25:50was just as damning.
00:25:52The investigation
00:25:53had uncovered
00:25:54that his consulting business
00:25:56was actually a front
00:25:57for a series
00:25:58of failed investment schemes.
00:26:00He'd lost nearly $300,000
00:26:03of other people's money,
00:26:04including funds
00:26:05that belonged
00:26:06to several elderly clients
00:26:07who'd trusted him
00:26:08with their retirement savings.
00:26:10Both of Floyd's sons
00:26:11were drowning in debt
00:26:12and legal troubles.
00:26:14No wonder they were so eager
00:26:16to get their hands
00:26:16on their inheritance.
00:26:18But the most devastating document
00:26:20was a medical report
00:26:21dated three months
00:26:22before Floyd's death.
00:26:24It wasn't from
00:26:25his regular doctor.
00:26:26This was from a neurologist
00:26:28I'd never heard of.
00:26:29The summary was brief
00:26:30but conclusive.
00:26:32Patient shows no signs
00:26:33of cognitive impairment
00:26:34or diminished capacity.
00:26:36Mental faculties remain sharp
00:26:38and decision-making ability intact.
00:26:41Sidney and Edwin
00:26:42had been suggesting
00:26:43to anyone who would listen
00:26:45that Floyd's illness
00:26:46was affecting his judgment,
00:26:48that he wasn't capable
00:26:49of making sound decisions
00:26:50about his estate.
00:26:51But this report
00:26:52proved otherwise.
00:26:54Floyd had been
00:26:55completely mentally competent
00:26:56right up until the end.
00:26:58The final document
00:26:59in the folder
00:27:00was a copy
00:27:01of a different will,
00:27:02not the one Sidney
00:27:03had shown me,
00:27:04but one dated just six weeks
00:27:06before Floyd's death.
00:27:08This will left everything to me,
00:27:10with modest trust funds
00:27:12for Sidney and Edwin
00:27:12that would pay out annually
00:27:14but couldn't be accessed
00:27:15all at once.
00:27:16A note in the margin
00:27:18in Floyd's handwriting read,
00:27:20Original held by
00:27:21Mitchell & Associates,
00:27:23not Morrison Firm.
00:27:25My heart pounded
00:27:26as the pieces fell into place.
00:27:28There were two wills.
00:27:29Sidney and Edwin
00:27:31had somehow gained access
00:27:32to an older version
00:27:33and were using it
00:27:34to claim their inheritance,
00:27:36while the real final will
00:27:38was safely hidden
00:27:38with a different law firm.
00:27:40But why hadn't this
00:27:42Mitchell & Associates
00:27:43contacted me
00:27:44after Floyd's death?
00:27:45Why was I only
00:27:46discovering this now?
00:27:48I reached for Floyd's letter
00:27:50with trembling hands
00:27:51and carefully opened
00:27:52the envelope.
00:27:53My dearest Colleen,
00:27:55it began.
00:27:56If you're reading this,
00:27:57then I'm gone
00:27:58and the boys have shown
00:27:59their true colors.
00:28:01I'm sorry I couldn't tell you
00:28:02about all of this
00:28:03while I was alive,
00:28:04but I needed to be sure
00:28:05of what they were planning.
00:28:07The letter went on
00:28:08to explain how Floyd
00:28:09had grown suspicious
00:28:10when Sidney and Edwin
00:28:11suddenly became so attentive
00:28:13during his illness.
00:28:14Not out of love,
00:28:16but because they were
00:28:17positioning themselves
00:28:18to control his estate.
00:28:20He'd hired the private
00:28:21investigator,
00:28:22moved the money,
00:28:23and created the elaborate
00:28:24plan to protect me.
00:28:26The boys think they're
00:28:27inheriting the house
00:28:28and the business,
00:28:29but what they don't know
00:28:30is that I've mortgaged
00:28:32both properties heavily
00:28:33in the past year.
00:28:35The house has a $1.2 million
00:28:37lien against it,
00:28:38and the business owes
00:28:40$800,000 to creditors.
00:28:42They're not inheriting assets.
00:28:44They're inheriting debt.
00:28:46I stared at the letter,
00:28:47hardly believing
00:28:48what I was reading.
00:28:50Floyd had essentially
00:28:51given Sidney and Edwin
00:28:52a poison pill,
00:28:54disguised as an inheritance.
00:28:56The life insurance policy
00:28:57they mentioned is real,
00:28:59the letter continued.
00:29:00But it's not for $200,000.
00:29:03It's for $500,000
00:29:05and the extra money
00:29:06is meant to help you
00:29:06start over.
00:29:07Martin Morrison
00:29:08was never supposed
00:29:09to handle my estate.
00:29:11I fired his firm
00:29:12two months ago
00:29:13but didn't tell him.
00:29:14The boys must have
00:29:15convinced him
00:29:16to represent the family
00:29:17after my death.
00:29:19The final paragraph
00:29:20brought tears to my eyes.
00:29:22I know this seems cruel,
00:29:24but I couldn't stand by
00:29:25and watch them
00:29:26steal from you
00:29:27the way they've been
00:29:28stealing from everyone else.
00:29:29They made their choices,
00:29:31Colleen.
00:29:32Now they have to live
00:29:33with the consequences.
00:29:35You deserve better
00:29:36than what they were
00:29:37planning to give you.
00:29:39Take the money,
00:29:40start fresh,
00:29:41and don't look back.
00:29:43Love always, Floyd.
00:29:45Attached to the letter
00:29:46was a business card
00:29:46for Mitchell & Associates
00:29:48and a note
00:29:49that I should contact them
00:29:50immediately after reading
00:29:51the contents
00:29:52of the safety deposit box.
00:29:54I sat in that small
00:29:55windowless room
00:29:56for nearly an hour,
00:29:58trying to process
00:29:59everything I'd learned.
00:30:00Floyd hadn't abandoned me.
00:30:02He'd been protecting me.
00:30:04And Sidney and Edwin,
00:30:06the men who'd called me
00:30:07mother at the funeral,
00:30:09who'd spoken so eloquently
00:30:11about family and legacy,
00:30:12were nothing more
00:30:13than common thieves.
00:30:15But there was something else,
00:30:17something that made
00:30:18my stomach churn.
00:30:20If Sidney and Edwin
00:30:22were so desperate for money
00:30:23that they'd steal
00:30:24from their dying father,
00:30:26what would they do
00:30:27when they discovered
00:30:28their inheritance
00:30:28was actually a mountain
00:30:29of debt?
00:30:31Would they come after me?
00:30:32Would they try to force me
00:30:34to help them out
00:30:35of the financial hole
00:30:36Floyd had dug for them?
00:30:38I carefully placed
00:30:39all the documents
00:30:40back in the safety deposit box
00:30:42except for the business card
00:30:43and Floyd's letter.
00:30:44Those I tucked safely
00:30:46in my purse.
00:30:47Tomorrow,
00:30:48I would call Mitchell & Associates,
00:30:49find out exactly
00:30:51what Floyd had arranged.
00:30:52But tonight,
00:30:53I had to sit through dinner
00:30:55with Sidney and Edwin,
00:30:56knowing what I now knew
00:30:57about them.
00:30:58I had to smile and nod
00:31:00while they discussed
00:31:00their plans for our properties,
00:31:03pretending I didn't know
00:31:04they were about to inherit
00:31:05nothing but debt
00:31:06and legal troubles.
00:31:07As I drove home,
00:31:09my phone rang.
00:31:10It was Edwin.
00:31:12Colleen,
00:31:12he said,
00:31:13his voice warm
00:31:14with false affection.
00:31:16Bianca and I would love
00:31:17to have you over
00:31:18for dinner tonight.
00:31:19We thought it would be nice
00:31:21to spend some family time together
00:31:22before we finalize
00:31:24all the legal matters.
00:31:26Family time.
00:31:27How thoughtful of them.
00:31:29That sounds lovely,
00:31:30I said,
00:31:31surprised by how steady
00:31:32my voice sounded.
00:31:34What time?
00:31:35Seven o'clock?
00:31:37And Colleen?
00:31:38We really want you to know
00:31:39how much we appreciate
00:31:40how gracefully
00:31:41you're handling everything.
00:31:43Dad would be proud.
00:31:45Dad would be proud.
00:31:46If Edwin only knew
00:31:48what Dad had really thought
00:31:49about his gambling-addicted,
00:31:51debt-ridden sons.
00:31:53As I hung up
00:31:54and continued driving
00:31:55toward what would probably
00:31:56be my last dinner
00:31:57as a member
00:31:58of the Whitaker family,
00:31:59I realized something
00:32:00had changed in me.
00:32:02The grief and confusion
00:32:04I'd been carrying
00:32:05since Floyd's death
00:32:06were still there.
00:32:07But they were now
00:32:08mixed with something else.
00:32:10Something harder
00:32:11and more focused.
00:32:14Sydney and Edwin
00:32:15thought they were so clever,
00:32:16manipulating the grieving widow,
00:32:19rushing me into decisions
00:32:20before I could think clearly.
00:32:22They had no idea
00:32:24that their father
00:32:25had been ten steps ahead of them
00:32:26the entire time.
00:32:27And they certainly had no idea
00:32:29that I was about to be
00:32:30ten steps ahead of them, too.
00:32:33Dinner was going to be
00:32:34very interesting indeed.
00:32:35Edwin and Bianca's house
00:32:37in Granite Bay
00:32:38was a monument
00:32:39to borrowed money
00:32:40and false success.
00:32:42As I pulled into
00:32:43their circular driveway,
00:32:45I couldn't help but notice
00:32:46the new luxury cars,
00:32:48a BMW and a Mercedes,
00:32:50that clearly cost more
00:32:52than most people
00:32:52made in a year.
00:32:53Now I understood
00:32:55where the money
00:32:55had come from.
00:32:57Bianca answered the door
00:32:59wearing a designer dress
00:33:00that probably cost more
00:33:01than my monthly grocery budget.
00:33:04At thirty-eight,
00:33:05she'd perfected the art
00:33:06of looking expensively
00:33:07maintained.
00:33:08Highlights that cost
00:33:09six hundred dollars
00:33:10every eight weeks,
00:33:11nails that required
00:33:13weekly touch-ups,
00:33:14jewelry that sparkled
00:33:15with the kind of stones
00:33:16that came with
00:33:17insurance riders.
00:33:19Colleen!
00:33:20She exclaimed,
00:33:22pulling me into an air kiss
00:33:23that barely grazed my cheek.
00:33:25You look wonderful.
00:33:27How are you holding up?
00:33:28The concern in her voice
00:33:29was about as genuine
00:33:30as her nail color,
00:33:32but I smiled and played along.
00:33:34I'm managing, dear.
00:33:36Thank you for having me.
00:33:38Sydney was already there,
00:33:40lounging in Edwin's study
00:33:41with a scotch in his hand
00:33:43that probably cost more
00:33:44per bottle than I spent
00:33:45on groceries in a month.
00:33:47The room was all dark wood
00:33:49and leather,
00:33:50designed to project
00:33:51success and stability.
00:33:53What it actually projected,
00:33:54now that I knew the truth,
00:33:56was desperate overreach.
00:33:58Mother,
00:33:59Sydney said,
00:34:00standing to give me
00:34:01a brief hug.
00:34:02You're looking better.
00:34:04I was worried about you
00:34:05after our conversation yesterday.
00:34:08Yesterday,
00:34:09when he'd told me
00:34:10I was essentially
00:34:10homeless and bankrupt.
00:34:12Such touching concern.
00:34:14Edwin emerged
00:34:15from the kitchen
00:34:16carrying a wine glass
00:34:17filled with what looked
00:34:18like a very expensive
00:34:19chardonnay.
00:34:21Colleen,
00:34:22so glad you could make it.
00:34:24Bianca's been cooking
00:34:25all afternoon.
00:34:25Her famous herb-crusted salmon.
00:34:28The three of them
00:34:30moved around me
00:34:30like gracious hosts,
00:34:32offering drinks
00:34:33and appetizers,
00:34:34commenting on my appearance,
00:34:36asking about my plans.
00:34:38It was a masterful performance
00:34:40of family concern,
00:34:42and if I hadn't spent
00:34:43the afternoon reading
00:34:44about their gambling debts
00:34:45and failed business ventures,
00:34:47I might have been touched.
00:34:49Dinner was served
00:34:50in their formal dining room,
00:34:52complete with china
00:34:53that looked like
00:34:53it belonged in a museum
00:34:55and silverware
00:34:56heavy enough
00:34:56to be weapons.
00:34:58Bianca had indeed
00:34:59outdone herself.
00:35:00The salmon
00:35:01was perfectly prepared,
00:35:03the wine expertly paired,
00:35:04the presentation flawless.
00:35:07So,
00:35:08Sidney said
00:35:09as we settled
00:35:09into the main course,
00:35:11Martin Morrison
00:35:12called me this afternoon.
00:35:13He mentioned
00:35:14you're ready
00:35:14to move forward
00:35:15with the estate transfer.
00:35:16I took a delicate bite
00:35:18of salmon,
00:35:19buying time.
00:35:20Yes,
00:35:21I've decided
00:35:22that fighting
00:35:22over Floyd's wishes
00:35:24isn't how I want
00:35:25to spend my remaining years.
00:35:27Family harmony
00:35:28is more important
00:35:29than money.
00:35:30The relief
00:35:31that flickered
00:35:31across Edwin's face
00:35:32was almost comical.
00:35:34That's,
00:35:35that's wonderful,
00:35:36Colleen,
00:35:37really wonderful.
00:35:39Dad would be so pleased
00:35:40to know we're all
00:35:40working together.
00:35:42We've prepared
00:35:42some papers,
00:35:43Bianca added,
00:35:45reaching for a manila folder
00:35:46that had been sitting
00:35:47on the sideboard.
00:35:48Just to make
00:35:49everything official,
00:35:50our attorney drew them up
00:35:51to compliment
00:35:52what Martin is handling.
00:35:54Their attorney.
00:35:56Of course,
00:35:57they'd brought in
00:35:57their own legal representation.
00:35:59I wondered
00:36:00if this mysterious lawyer
00:36:01knew about
00:36:02Sidney's gambling debts
00:36:03or Edwin's
00:36:04fraudulent investment schemes.
00:36:06How thoughtful,
00:36:08I said,
00:36:09not touching the folder.
00:36:11But I should mention
00:36:12that I've been doing
00:36:13some thinking
00:36:13about the medical bills.
00:36:15The temperature
00:36:16in the room
00:36:17seemed to drop
00:36:18several degrees.
00:36:19Sidney set down
00:36:20his wine glass
00:36:21with just a bit
00:36:22too much force.
00:36:23What kind of thinking?
00:36:25Edwin asked,
00:36:26his voice carefully neutral.
00:36:28Well,
00:36:29$180,000
00:36:30is a substantial amount.
00:36:32I was wondering
00:36:33if perhaps
00:36:34we should have
00:36:35an accountant
00:36:35review the estate's
00:36:36liquid assets
00:36:37before I commit
00:36:38to taking on
00:36:38that debt personally.
00:36:40Sidney and Edwin
00:36:41exchanged a look,
00:36:42the same kind
00:36:43of silent communication
00:36:44I'd witnessed
00:36:45in Floyd's office.
00:36:46But this time
00:36:47I could read
00:36:48the subtext.
00:36:49They were afraid
00:36:50I might discover
00:36:50something.
00:36:52Colleen,
00:36:53Sidney said carefully.
00:36:55I thought we'd
00:36:56explain that the
00:36:57estate assets
00:36:57are tied up
00:36:58in probate.
00:36:59The medical bills
00:37:00are separate
00:37:00from the inheritance.
00:37:02Of course,
00:37:03I said pleasantly.
00:37:04But Floyd was
00:37:05always so meticulous
00:37:06about his record-keeping.
00:37:07I'm sure there
00:37:08must be documentation
00:37:09of exactly what
00:37:10debts belong
00:37:11to the estate
00:37:12versus what's
00:37:13considered
00:37:13personal responsibility.
00:37:15Bianca laughed,
00:37:17the sound
00:37:17just a bit too bright.
00:37:19Oh,
00:37:20Edwin handles
00:37:21all that boring
00:37:21financial stuff.
00:37:23Don't you,
00:37:23honey?
00:37:24Edwin nodded
00:37:25rapidly.
00:37:27Absolutely.
00:37:28Everything's been
00:37:29properly categorized.
00:37:30The medical expenses
00:37:31fall to you
00:37:32because you were
00:37:33Floyd's spouse
00:37:34and presumably
00:37:34involved in the
00:37:35treatment decisions.
00:37:37That makes sense,
00:37:38I agreed.
00:37:40Although I do
00:37:41find it interesting
00:37:42that Floyd never
00:37:43mentioned being
00:37:43worried about
00:37:44medical costs.
00:37:45He always seemed
00:37:46so confident
00:37:47that we had
00:37:47adequate insurance.
00:37:50The silence
00:37:51stretched just a
00:37:52beat too long.
00:37:53Sidney cleared
00:37:54his throat.
00:37:55Insurance
00:37:56doesn't cover
00:37:57everything,
00:37:57unfortunately.
00:37:59Dad's treatment
00:37:59was quite extensive
00:38:00in those final
00:38:01months.
00:38:02I knew I was
00:38:03walking into
00:38:04dangerous territory
00:38:05but I couldn't
00:38:06resist pressing
00:38:07just a little.
00:38:08I suppose I
00:38:09should contact
00:38:10the hospital
00:38:10directly.
00:38:11Get an itemized
00:38:12breakdown of
00:38:13what's owed
00:38:13and what the
00:38:14insurance actually
00:38:15covered.
00:38:16Edwin's fork
00:38:17clattered against
00:38:18his plate.
00:38:19That's,
00:38:19that's not
00:38:20necessary,
00:38:21Colleen.
00:38:21I've already
00:38:22handled all that.
00:38:23Very thoroughly.
00:38:25I'm sure you
00:38:26have,
00:38:27I said.
00:38:27But as Floyd's
00:38:29widow,
00:38:29I feel responsible
00:38:30for understanding
00:38:31exactly what
00:38:32happened financially
00:38:33during his
00:38:34final illness.
00:38:35It's the least
00:38:35I can do
00:38:36for his memory.
00:38:37Bianca jumped
00:38:38up suddenly.
00:38:39Who wants
00:38:40dessert?
00:38:41I made that
00:38:42chocolate tort
00:38:43recipe from
00:38:43Food and Wine
00:38:44magazine.
00:38:45She practically
00:38:46fled to the
00:38:47kitchen and I
00:38:48didn't miss the
00:38:48meaningful look
00:38:49Sidney shot at
00:38:50Edwin.
00:38:50They were rattled
00:38:52and I'd barely
00:38:52begun to probe.
00:38:54Colleen,
00:38:55Sidney said,
00:38:56leaning forward
00:38:57with what I
00:38:57supposed was
00:38:58meant to be
00:38:58a paternal
00:38:59expression.
00:39:00I hope you're
00:39:01not second
00:39:01guessing our
00:39:02arrangement because
00:39:03of something
00:39:03someone else
00:39:04said.
00:39:04Sometimes
00:39:05people who
00:39:06aren't familiar
00:39:06with a state
00:39:07law can give
00:39:08misleading advice.
00:39:10Oh no,
00:39:11I assured him.
00:39:12I'm not
00:39:12second guessing
00:39:13anything.
00:39:14I'm just
00:39:14trying to be
00:39:15thorough.
00:39:16Floyd always
00:39:16said that the
00:39:17devil was in
00:39:18the details.
00:39:19Edwin laughed
00:39:20nervously.
00:39:21Dad did love
00:39:22his paperwork.
00:39:23He certainly
00:39:24did.
00:39:25In fact,
00:39:26I've been going
00:39:27through his
00:39:27office and I
00:39:28keep finding
00:39:29documents I
00:39:29don't understand.
00:39:31Bank statements
00:39:32for accounts
00:39:32I've never
00:39:33heard of.
00:39:33Business papers
00:39:34for companies
00:39:35I didn't know
00:39:36he was involved
00:39:36with.
00:39:38The color
00:39:38drained from
00:39:39Edwin's face.
00:39:40What kinds
00:39:41of documents?
00:39:43Oh,
00:39:43nothing important,
00:39:44I'm sure.
00:39:45Just confusing
00:39:46financial statements.
00:39:47Although I did
00:39:48find a safety
00:39:49deposit box key
00:39:49that I'd never
00:39:50seen before.
00:39:51Sidney went
00:39:52very still.
00:39:54A safety
00:39:55deposit box?
00:39:56Yes.
00:39:57Isn't that
00:39:58odd?
00:39:58I thought I
00:39:59knew about all
00:40:00of Floyd's
00:40:00financial arrangements,
00:40:02but apparently
00:40:02he had some
00:40:03accounts and
00:40:04boxes I
00:40:04wasn't aware
00:40:05of.
00:40:06I suppose I
00:40:07should look
00:40:07into those
00:40:08before we
00:40:08finalize
00:40:09everything.
00:40:10The look
00:40:11that passed
00:40:11between the
00:40:12brothers this
00:40:12time was
00:40:13pure panic,
00:40:14quickly suppressed,
00:40:15but unmistakable.
00:40:17Mother,
00:40:18Sidney said,
00:40:19his voice strained
00:40:20with the effort
00:40:21to sound casual.
00:40:22You shouldn't
00:40:23worry yourself
00:40:24with all that
00:40:24paperwork.
00:40:25Legal documents
00:40:26can be very
00:40:27confusing for
00:40:28someone without
00:40:28a business
00:40:29background.
00:40:30Why don't
00:40:31you let
00:40:31Edwin and
00:40:31me handle
00:40:32reviewing
00:40:32whatever you
00:40:33found?
00:40:34That's very
00:40:35sweet of
00:40:36you both,
00:40:36I said.
00:40:37But I
00:40:38think Floyd
00:40:38would want
00:40:39me to
00:40:39understand
00:40:39our financial
00:40:40situation
00:40:41myself.
00:40:42After all,
00:40:43I'll be
00:40:43managing on
00:40:43my own
00:40:44from now
00:40:44on.
00:40:45Bianca
00:40:45returned
00:40:46with the
00:40:46tort,
00:40:47her smile
00:40:48looking somewhat
00:40:48forced.
00:40:49As she
00:40:50served dessert,
00:40:51the conversation
00:40:52shifted to
00:40:53safer topics.
00:40:54The weather,
00:40:55Edwin's
00:40:56latest
00:40:56consulting
00:40:57project,
00:40:57Sidney's
00:40:58law practice.
00:40:59But I
00:41:00could feel
00:41:00the tension
00:41:01underneath
00:41:01their polite
00:41:02chatter like
00:41:03an electrical
00:41:03current waiting
00:41:04to spark.
00:41:06After dinner,
00:41:07as I prepared
00:41:07to leave,
00:41:08Sidney walked
00:41:09me to my
00:41:09car.
00:41:10Colleen,
00:41:11he said,
00:41:12his hand
00:41:13on my car
00:41:13door,
00:41:14about those
00:41:15documents you
00:41:15mentioned
00:41:16finding.
00:41:17Yes?
00:41:19It would
00:41:20probably be
00:41:20best if you
00:41:21brought them
00:41:22to our next
00:41:22meeting.
00:41:23Let us
00:41:23help you
00:41:24sort through
00:41:24what's
00:41:25important and
00:41:25what isn't.
00:41:26Dad's
00:41:27filing system
00:41:28wasn't
00:41:28always
00:41:29logical.
00:41:31I smiled
00:41:32at him,
00:41:33the same
00:41:33pleasant smile
00:41:34I'd worn
00:41:34all evening.
00:41:36Of course,
00:41:37Sidney.
00:41:38Family
00:41:38should help
00:41:39family.
00:41:40But as I
00:41:41drove away,
00:41:42I caught a
00:41:43glimpse of him
00:41:43in my rearview
00:41:44mirror,
00:41:45standing in the
00:41:45driveway with
00:41:46his phone
00:41:46already pressed
00:41:47to his ear.
00:41:48He was making
00:41:49a call that
00:41:50couldn't wait
00:41:50until he got
00:41:51back inside.
00:41:52By the time
00:41:53I reached
00:41:54home,
00:41:54my own phone
00:41:55was ringing.
00:41:55It was a
00:41:56number I
00:41:57didn't
00:41:57recognize.
00:41:58Mrs.
00:41:59Whitaker?
00:42:00This is
00:42:01James Mitchell
00:42:01from Mitchell
00:42:02& Associates.
00:42:03I believe
00:42:04you may
00:42:04have some
00:42:05documents that
00:42:05belong to
00:42:06my office?
00:42:08Mr.
00:42:08Mitchell,
00:42:09I said,
00:42:10settling into
00:42:10Floyd's chair
00:42:11in his study.
00:42:12How did
00:42:13you know
00:42:13I'd found
00:42:14them?
00:42:15Your husband
00:42:16was very
00:42:16specific in
00:42:17his instructions.
00:42:18If you
00:42:19found the
00:42:19safety deposit
00:42:20box,
00:42:21I was to
00:42:21contact you
00:42:22within 24
00:42:23hours.
00:42:23Ma'am,
00:42:24we need
00:42:25to meet
00:42:25as soon
00:42:25as possible.
00:42:26There are
00:42:27some things
00:42:27about your
00:42:28husband's
00:42:28estate that
00:42:29you need
00:42:29to know
00:42:30before you
00:42:30sign anything
00:42:31with Sidney
00:42:31and Edwin.
00:42:33What kinds
00:42:33of things?
00:42:34Things that
00:42:35will change
00:42:36everything,
00:42:36Mrs.
00:42:37Whitaker.
00:42:38Everything.
00:42:39As I hung
00:42:39up the phone
00:42:40and looked
00:42:40around Floyd's
00:42:41study,
00:42:42my study
00:42:42now,
00:42:43I realized
00:42:44that the
00:42:44invisible game
00:42:45I'd been
00:42:46playing all
00:42:46evening was
00:42:47about to
00:42:47become very
00:42:48visible
00:42:48indeed.
00:42:49Sidney
00:42:50and Edwin
00:42:51thought they
00:42:51were manipulating
00:42:52a grieving
00:42:52widow.
00:42:53But they
00:42:54had no
00:42:54idea that
00:42:55their father
00:42:55had been
00:42:55playing a
00:42:56much longer,
00:42:57much more
00:42:58sophisticated
00:42:58game.
00:42:59James Mitchell's
00:43:00office was
00:43:01nothing like
00:43:01Martin Morrison's
00:43:02polished downtown
00:43:03suite.
00:43:04Located in a
00:43:05modest building
00:43:06in Midtown
00:43:06Sacramento,
00:43:07it had the
00:43:08comfortable,
00:43:09lived-in feeling
00:43:10of a place
00:43:10where real
00:43:11work got
00:43:11done,
00:43:12rather than
00:43:12impressive
00:43:13clients got
00:43:14courted.
00:43:15Mitchell himself
00:43:16was a surprise.
00:43:17A soft-spoken
00:43:18man in his
00:43:19sixties with
00:43:20kind eyes and
00:43:20hands that
00:43:21showed he'd
00:43:22worked for
00:43:22everything he'd
00:43:23earned.
00:43:24Mrs.
00:43:25Whitaker,
00:43:25he said,
00:43:26rising from
00:43:27behind a
00:43:27desk that
00:43:28was organized
00:43:28chaos incarnate.
00:43:30Thank you for
00:43:31coming so
00:43:32quickly.
00:43:33Please sit
00:43:33down, we
00:43:34have a lot
00:43:34to discuss.
00:43:35I settled
00:43:36into the
00:43:36worn leather
00:43:37chair across
00:43:38from his
00:43:38desk, my
00:43:39purse containing
00:43:40Floyd's letter
00:43:41held tightly
00:43:41in my lap.
00:43:43Mr.
00:43:43Mitchell, I
00:43:44have to admit
00:43:45I'm confused
00:43:45about all of
00:43:46this.
00:43:47I didn't even
00:43:48know Floyd had
00:43:48hired another
00:43:49attorney.
00:43:50He hired
00:43:51me about
00:43:52eight months
00:43:52ago, Mitchell
00:43:53said, pulling
00:43:54out a thick
00:43:55file.
00:43:55Initially, it
00:43:56was just to
00:43:57conduct a
00:43:57discreet
00:43:58investigation into
00:43:59some financial
00:44:00irregularities he'd
00:44:01noticed.
00:44:02But as we
00:44:03uncovered more
00:44:04information, my
00:44:05role expanded
00:44:06significantly.
00:44:07He opened the
00:44:09file, and I
00:44:10could see it
00:44:10contained copies of
00:44:11many of the
00:44:12same documents I'd
00:44:13found in the
00:44:13safety deposit
00:44:14box, along with
00:44:15others I hadn't
00:44:16seen.
00:44:17Your husband was
00:44:18a very thorough
00:44:19man, Mrs.
00:44:21Whitaker.
00:44:22When he realized
00:44:23what his sons were
00:44:24planning, he
00:44:25developed a
00:44:25comprehensive strategy
00:44:27to protect you and
00:44:28ensure they faced
00:44:29consequences for
00:44:30their actions.
00:44:31The investigation
00:44:32showed they were
00:44:33stealing from him?
00:44:34Mitchell nodded
00:44:36grimly.
00:44:37Sidney had been
00:44:38forging his
00:44:38father's signature
00:44:39on loan documents,
00:44:41using the family
00:44:41business as
00:44:42collateral for his
00:44:43gambling debts.
00:44:44Edwin was worse.
00:44:46He'd been
00:44:47systematically
00:44:47transferring funds
00:44:49from client
00:44:49accounts into his
00:44:50own shell
00:44:50companies.
00:44:51Both of them
00:44:52were facing
00:44:53potential criminal
00:44:54charges if their
00:44:55activities came to
00:44:56light.
00:44:56I felt a chill
00:44:58settle over me.
00:44:59Criminal charges?
00:45:01Grand larceny,
00:45:02wire fraud,
00:45:04elder abuse.
00:45:05Your husband
00:45:06could have had
00:45:06them both arrested.
00:45:08Instead, he
00:45:09chose a more.
00:45:10Creative form of
00:45:11justice.
00:45:13Mitchell pulled
00:45:14out a different
00:45:14set of documents
00:45:15and spread them
00:45:16across his
00:45:16desk.
00:45:17These are the
00:45:18real estate
00:45:19records for the
00:45:20house and the
00:45:20Lake Tahoe
00:45:21property.
00:45:22As of six
00:45:23months ago,
00:45:24both properties
00:45:24are leveraged
00:45:25to the maximum.
00:45:27Your husband
00:45:28took out
00:45:28mortgages
00:45:29totaling $1.2
00:45:30million on the
00:45:31house and
00:45:32$800,000 on
00:45:33the villa.
00:45:33But why would
00:45:34he do that?
00:45:35We owned both
00:45:36properties free
00:45:37and clear.
00:45:39Because he knew
00:45:40Sidney and Edwin
00:45:41would inherit them,
00:45:42and he wanted to
00:45:43ensure they inherited
00:45:44the associated
00:45:45debts as well.
00:45:46The money from
00:45:47those mortgages?
00:45:48It's sitting
00:45:49safely in the
00:45:50Whitaker Holdings
00:45:50account that only
00:45:51you can access.
00:45:53My head spun as I
00:45:54tried to process
00:45:55what he was
00:45:56telling me.
00:45:57So when they
00:45:58inherit the
00:45:59properties?
00:46:00They inherit
00:46:01properties worth
00:46:02approximately $1.6
00:46:04million, but with
00:46:06mortgages totaling
00:46:07$2 million.
00:46:08They'll owe $600,000
00:46:10more than the
00:46:11houses are worth.
00:46:12That's not
00:46:13possible.
00:46:14They showed me
00:46:15the will.
00:46:16They showed you
00:46:17an outdated
00:46:18will, Mitchell
00:46:19interrupted gently.
00:46:21One that was
00:46:22superseded by a
00:46:23final version your
00:46:24husband executed
00:46:25six weeks before
00:46:26his death.
00:46:27The real will
00:46:29leaves everything
00:46:30to you, with
00:46:31the stipulation
00:46:32that if you
00:46:32choose, you can
00:46:34gift the properties
00:46:35to Sidney and
00:46:35Edwin.
00:46:36The choice is
00:46:37entirely yours.
00:46:40He handed me a
00:46:41copy of the real
00:46:42will.
00:46:43As I read through
00:46:44the legal language,
00:46:45one clause stood
00:46:46out.
00:46:47I leave the
00:46:48decision of what,
00:46:49if anything, my
00:46:50son Sidney and
00:46:51Edwin shall inherit
00:46:52entirely to my
00:46:53beloved wife
00:46:53Colleen, trusting in
00:46:55her wisdom and
00:46:56judgment to determine
00:46:57what they truly
00:46:58deserve.
00:46:59Floyd left it up
00:47:00to me, I
00:47:01whispered.
00:47:02He did.
00:47:03And Mrs.
00:47:04Whitaker.
00:47:05There's more.
00:47:06The life insurance
00:47:07policy isn't for
00:47:08$200,000.
00:47:10It's for $500,000.
00:47:12And there's an
00:47:13additional policy for
00:47:14$300,000 that Sidney
00:47:16and Edwin don't know
00:47:17about.
00:47:18$800,000.
00:47:21Combined with the
00:47:22money Floyd had
00:47:22moved to the
00:47:23protected accounts,
00:47:24I wasn't just
00:47:25secure.
00:47:26I was wealthy.
00:47:27But here's the most
00:47:29important part,
00:47:30Mitchell continued.
00:47:31Your husband
00:47:32documented everything.
00:47:34Every forged
00:47:35signature, every
00:47:37fraudulent
00:47:37transfer, every
00:47:39lie Sidney and
00:47:40Edwin told during
00:47:40his illness.
00:47:41If you choose to
00:47:43pursue criminal
00:47:43charges, we have
00:47:45more than enough
00:47:46evidence to ensure
00:47:47convictions.
00:47:49The room seemed to
00:47:50tilt slightly as the
00:47:51full scope of Floyd's
00:47:53plan became clear.
00:47:54He hadn't just
00:47:55protected me.
00:47:56He'd given me the
00:47:57power to decide Sidney
00:47:59and Edwin's fate.
00:48:00What happens if I
00:48:01don't pursue charges
00:48:02but also don't give
00:48:03them the properties?
00:48:05They get nothing.
00:48:07They inherit their
00:48:08father's love and
00:48:09their childhood
00:48:10memories, and
00:48:11that's all.
00:48:12Meanwhile, they're
00:48:13still facing the
00:48:14debts they've already
00:48:15accumulated, and the
00:48:16creditors who've been
00:48:17waiting for their
00:48:18inheritance to pay
00:48:19them back won't be
00:48:20very understanding.
00:48:22Before I could
00:48:23respond, my phone
00:48:24rang.
00:48:25It was Sidney.
00:48:26Don't answer it,
00:48:27Mitchell advised.
00:48:29Not yet.
00:48:30There are a few more
00:48:31things you need to
00:48:31know.
00:48:32But the phone kept
00:48:33ringing, and
00:48:34something in the
00:48:35persistence of it
00:48:36made me uneasy.
00:48:37Finally, I picked
00:48:38up.
00:48:39Colleen?
00:48:41Sidney's voice was
00:48:42strained, almost
00:48:43frantic.
00:48:44We need to talk.
00:48:46There's been a
00:48:46development.
00:48:49What kind of
00:48:50development?
00:48:51Someone from
00:48:52Mitchell & Associates
00:48:53called Edwin this
00:48:54morning.
00:48:54They claim to have
00:48:55documents that
00:48:56supersede the will
00:48:57we've been working
00:48:58with.
00:48:59This is very
00:49:00concerning, Colleen.
00:49:01We think someone
00:49:02might be trying to
00:49:03defraud the estate.
00:49:05I looked at Mitchell,
00:49:06who was shaking his
00:49:07head with what might
00:49:08have been amusement.
00:49:11Sidney, I don't
00:49:12understand.
00:49:13What kind of
00:49:13documents?
00:49:15Legal papers that
00:49:16don't make sense.
00:49:18Listen, Mother.
00:49:19I think you should
00:49:20come to Martin
00:49:21Morrison's office
00:49:22immediately.
00:49:23We need to sort
00:49:24this out before you
00:49:25sign anything or make
00:49:26any decisions you
00:49:27might regret.
00:49:28The urgency in his
00:49:30voice was telling.
00:49:31They'd discovered
00:49:32they weren't inheriting
00:49:33what they thought,
00:49:34and they were
00:49:35panicking.
00:49:36I'll be there in an
00:49:37hour, I said, and
00:49:39hung up.
00:49:40Mitchell leaned back
00:49:41in his chair.
00:49:42So, Mrs. Whitaker,
00:49:44the moment of truth
00:49:45has arrived.
00:49:46What do you want to
00:49:47do?
00:49:48I stared down at the
00:49:49documents spread
00:49:50across his desk,
00:49:51evidence of years of
00:49:53manipulation and
00:49:53theft, proof of
00:49:55Floyd's careful
00:49:55planning, and the
00:49:57legal foundation for
00:49:58whatever choice I
00:49:59made next.
00:50:00I want to
00:50:01understand something,
00:50:02I said slowly.
00:50:03If I give them the
00:50:05properties with the
00:50:05mortgages, are they
00:50:07legally obligated to
00:50:08pay those debts?
00:50:10Absolutely.
00:50:11The mortgages
00:50:12transfer with the
00:50:13properties, they'd
00:50:15have 30 days to
00:50:16refinance or assume
00:50:17the loans, or face
00:50:19foreclosure.
00:50:20And given their
00:50:21existing debts and
00:50:22credit problems, no
00:50:23bank would refinance
00:50:25them, they'd lose the
00:50:26properties and still
00:50:27owe the deficiency
00:50:28balances.
00:50:29I thought about
00:50:30dinner the night
00:50:31before, about
00:50:33Bianca's designer
00:50:33dress and the
00:50:34expensive cars in
00:50:35their driveway, about
00:50:37Sydney's casual
00:50:38arrogance and Edwin's
00:50:39false concern.
00:50:41I thought about 22
00:50:42years of being treated
00:50:44as an outsider in my
00:50:45own family, of being
00:50:47dismissed and
00:50:47patronized and
00:50:48ultimately betrayed.
00:50:50But mostly, I
00:50:52thought about Floyd,
00:50:53lying in that
00:50:54hospital bed, knowing
00:50:55what his sons were
00:50:56planning, working
00:50:58even in his final
00:50:59weeks to protect me
00:51:00from their greed.
00:51:02Mr. Mitchell, I
00:51:04said, standing up and
00:51:06smoothing my skirt.
00:51:07I believe it's time for
00:51:09Sydney and Edwin to
00:51:10learn about the
00:51:11consequences of their
00:51:12choices.
00:51:13As I drove to
00:51:14Martin Morrison's
00:51:15office, my phone
00:51:16buzzed with a steady
00:51:17stream of increasingly
00:51:18desperate text messages.
00:51:21Sydney, mother, please
00:51:23don't sign anything
00:51:24until we sort this
00:51:25out.
00:51:26Edwin, Colleen, there
00:51:28are people trying to
00:51:29take advantage of your
00:51:30grief.
00:51:31Be careful.
00:51:32Bianca, we're all
00:51:34family here.
00:51:35Don't let strangers
00:51:36come between us.
00:51:37Family, they still
00:51:39thought they could
00:51:40manipulate me with
00:51:41that word.
00:51:41But as I pulled into
00:51:43the parking garage of
00:51:44Martin's building, I
00:51:45realized something had
00:51:46fundamentally changed.
00:51:47For the first time in
00:51:4922 years, I wasn't
00:51:51walking into a meeting
00:51:52as Floyd's wife or as
00:51:53Sydney and Edwin's
00:51:54stepmother.
00:51:55I was walking in as
00:51:57Colleen Whitaker, a
00:51:58woman with $5.7
00:52:00million, complete legal
00:52:02documentation of her
00:52:03stepson's crimes, and
00:52:05the power to decide
00:52:06their future.
00:52:07The scared, grieving
00:52:08widow they thought they
00:52:09were manipulating had
00:52:10ceased to exist.
00:52:12In her place was
00:52:13someone much more
00:52:14dangerous.
00:52:14A woman with nothing
00:52:16left to lose, and
00:52:18everything to gain.
00:52:20The conference room at
00:52:21Morrison & Associates had
00:52:23never felt so small.
00:52:25Sydney and Edwin sat on
00:52:27one side of the polished
00:52:28mahogany table, their
00:52:29faces pale but determined.
00:52:31Martin Morrison occupied
00:52:33the head of the table,
00:52:34looking more uncomfortable
00:52:35than I'd ever seen him.
00:52:37James Mitchell sat beside
00:52:39me, a thick briefcase at
00:52:40his feet, and the calm
00:52:42demeanor of a man who
00:52:43held all the cards.
00:52:45Colleen, Sydney began
00:52:47before anyone else could
00:52:48speak.
00:52:48We're glad you're here.
00:52:50This whole situation has
00:52:51gotten very confusing, and
00:52:54we need to clear up some
00:52:55misunderstandings.
00:52:56What kind of
00:52:57misunderstandings?
00:52:58I asked, settling into
00:53:00my chair and folding my
00:53:01hands calmly in my lap.
00:53:04Edwin jumped in, his
00:53:05voice strained with false
00:53:07concern.
00:53:08Someone's been spreading
00:53:09misinformation about
00:53:10dad's estate.
00:53:12Claims about different
00:53:13wills, hidden accounts,
00:53:15things that just don't
00:53:16make sense.
00:53:17We're worried that
00:53:18unscrupulous people might
00:53:20be trying to take
00:53:20advantage of your grief.
00:53:22Martin Morrison cleared
00:53:24his throat.
00:53:25Colleen, I have to admit
00:53:27that I'm confused as
00:53:28well.
00:53:29Mr. Mitchell here claims
00:53:31to have documents that
00:53:32supersede the will I've
00:53:33been working with.
00:53:34But Floyd never mentioned
00:53:36changing attorneys or
00:53:37creating new estate
00:53:38documents.
00:53:39That's because Floyd
00:53:41didn't trust you
00:53:41anymore, I said quietly.
00:53:44The room went dead
00:53:45silent.
00:53:46Martin's face flushed
00:53:47red, while Sidney and
00:53:49Edwin exchanged a look
00:53:50of pure panic.
00:53:52Excuse me?
00:53:53Martin said.
00:53:54I opened my purse and
00:53:55pulled out Floyd's
00:53:56letter, the one I'd found
00:53:58in the safety deposit box.
00:54:00Floyd discovered that
00:54:01someone in your firm was
00:54:03feeding information about
00:54:04his estate planning to
00:54:05Sidney and Edwin.
00:54:06He couldn't be sure if
00:54:08it was you personally or
00:54:09someone in your office, so
00:54:11he decided to take his
00:54:12business elsewhere.
00:54:14That's impossible, Sidney
00:54:16said quickly.
00:54:17Dad trusted Martin
00:54:19completely.
00:54:20Did he?
00:54:21I looked directly at
00:54:23Sidney, enjoying the way
00:54:24his confident facade was
00:54:26beginning to crack.
00:54:27Then why did he secretly
00:54:29hire a private investigator
00:54:31eight months ago to look
00:54:32into your financial
00:54:33activities?
00:54:34And why did he move
00:54:35$4.7 million into
00:54:37accounts that only I can
00:54:39access?
00:54:40Edwin made a choking
00:54:41sound.
00:54:42$4.7 million?
00:54:44That's not possible.
00:54:46Dad didn't have that kind
00:54:47of liquid assets.
00:54:49Actually, he did, James
00:54:51Mitchell said, opening his
00:54:53briefcase and pulling out
00:54:54a thick folder.
00:54:55Your father was
00:54:57considerably wealthier than
00:54:58either of you realized.
00:54:59He'd been quietly building a
00:55:01portfolio for years, specifically
00:55:04to ensure Colleen's security
00:55:05after his death.
00:55:06He spread documents across
00:55:08the table, bank statements,
00:55:10investment records, property
00:55:11deeds.
00:55:12The house you think you're
00:55:14inheriting?
00:55:14It has a $1.2 million
00:55:17mortgage against it.
00:55:18The villa at Lake Tahoe?
00:55:20$800,000 in liens.
00:55:23Your father took out these
00:55:24loans specifically to saddle any
00:55:26inheritance with debt.
00:55:28Sidney's face had gone from
00:55:29pale to gray.
00:55:31You're lying.
00:55:32I'm afraid not, Mitchell
00:55:35continued calmly.
00:55:36Your father documented
00:55:38everything very carefully,
00:55:40including your gambling debts,
00:55:42Sidney, $230,000 to various
00:55:45creditors, and Edwin's fraudulent
00:55:48investment schemes, which have
00:55:50cost his clients nearly $300,000.
00:55:53This is harassment, Edwin said,
00:55:56his voice cracking.
00:55:57You can't prove any of this.
00:56:00Mitchell smiled and pulled out
00:56:02another folder.
00:56:03Actually, I can.
00:56:05Bank records showing forged
00:56:06signatures on loan documents.
00:56:09Wire transfer records proving
00:56:10embezzlement.
00:56:12Recorded phone conversations where
00:56:13both of you discussed manipulating
00:56:15your father's estate while he was
00:56:17dying in the hospital.
00:56:18The temperature in the room seemed
00:56:20to drop 10 degrees.
00:56:21Martin Morrison was staring at the
00:56:23documents with the horrified
00:56:25expression of a man realizing he'd
00:56:27been completely played.
00:56:29Colleen, Sidney said, his voice now
00:56:32openly desperate.
00:56:33Surely you don't believe these
00:56:35fabrications.
00:56:36We're family.
00:56:37We love you.
00:56:39Family, I repeated.
00:56:41The way you loved me when you told
00:56:43me I was inheriting $20,000
00:56:45after 22 years of marriage.
00:56:47The way you loved me when you gave me
00:56:4930 days to find somewhere else to live.
00:56:53Bianca, who had been silent until
00:56:55now, suddenly spoke up.
00:56:58This is all just a misunderstanding.
00:57:00We can work this out.
00:57:02We can make adjustments.
00:57:04Actually, I interrupted, there's
00:57:07nothing to work out.
00:57:08The real will, the legally binding
00:57:10one, leaves everything to me.
00:57:13The choice of what, if anything,
00:57:15Sidney and Edwin inherit is entirely
00:57:17mine.
00:57:18I reached into my purse and pulled
00:57:20out another document.
00:57:22This is a gift deed I had prepared
00:57:24this morning.
00:57:25I'm giving you exactly what you
00:57:27tried to give me.
00:57:28Sidney grabbed the document and read
00:57:30it quickly, his face cycling through
00:57:32confusion, understanding, and finally
00:57:34horror.
00:57:35You're giving us the house and the
00:57:37villa, Edwin said slowly.
00:57:40But with the mortgages.
00:57:42That's correct.
00:57:43You'll own properties worth
00:57:45approximately $1.6 million,
00:57:47with associated debts of $2 million.
00:57:51That leaves you $600,000 in the
00:57:53hole, which seems fitting given your
00:57:55existing financial difficulties.
00:57:57You can't do this, Sidney said, but his
00:58:01voice lacked conviction.
00:58:03Actually, I can.
00:58:05It's exactly what Floyd intended.
00:58:07He wanted you to face the consequences of
00:58:09your choices.
00:58:11Martin Morrison finally found his voice.
00:58:14Colleen, this is extremely irregular.
00:58:17Perhaps we should take some time to
00:58:19consider all options.
00:58:20No, I said firmly.
00:58:23I've considered everything.
00:58:25Sidney and Edwin can accept their
00:58:27inheritance as offered, or they can
00:58:29walk away with nothing.
00:58:30Those are their only options.
00:58:32And if we refuse?
00:58:34Edwin asked.
00:58:36James Mitchell answered.
00:58:38Then Mrs.
00:58:39Whitaker will pursue criminal charges for
00:58:41elder abuse, grand larceny, and wire fraud.
00:58:45The evidence is overwhelming.
00:58:47You'd both be looking at significant
00:58:49prison time.
00:58:51The silence stretched on for what felt
00:58:53like hours.
00:58:54I could see Sidney's mind working,
00:58:57trying to find an angle, a way to
00:58:59negotiate or manipulate the situation.
00:59:02Edwin just looked defeated.
00:59:04Finally, Sidney spoke.
00:59:06What do you want from us?
00:59:09I want you to sign the papers accepting
00:59:11the inheritance as offered.
00:59:13I want you to agree never to contact me
00:59:15again unless it's through attorneys.
00:59:18And I want you to understand that this is
00:59:21what your father chose for you, not out of
00:59:23hatred, but because you forced his hand.
00:59:27Bianca started crying.
00:59:29This will ruin us.
00:59:31We'll lose everything.
00:59:32You should have thought about that before
00:59:34you started stealing from your dying
00:59:36father, I said without sympathy.
00:59:39Edwin looked up at me with something
00:59:40that might have been respect.
00:59:42He really planned all of this?
00:59:45Every detail.
00:59:46Your father was much smarter than
00:59:48either of you ever gave him credit for.
00:59:51In the end, they signed.
00:59:54They didn't have a choice.
00:59:56The alternative was prison,
00:59:58and even in their desperation,
01:00:00they weren't quite ready to risk that.
01:00:02As they filed out of the conference room,
01:00:05Sidney paused at the door.
01:00:07This isn't over, Colleen.
01:00:10Yes, it is, I replied calmly.
01:00:13It's completely over.
01:00:15Three months later, I sold the real estate
01:00:18that Sidney and Edwin couldn't afford to keep
01:00:20and moved to a charming cottage in Carmel
01:00:22overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
01:00:25The cottage cost $1.2 million, cash,
01:00:29and still left me with more money
01:00:31than I could spend in several lifetimes.
01:00:34I received word through my attorney
01:00:36that Sidney had filed for bankruptcy
01:00:37and was attending court-mandated
01:00:40gambling addiction counseling.
01:00:42Edwin had moved back in with his mother
01:00:44and was working as a night manager
01:00:46at a hotel near the airport.
01:00:48Bianca had filed for divorce
01:00:50and moved to Los Angeles with her sister.
01:00:52Sometimes, usually in the evening
01:00:54when the fog rolled in from the ocean,
01:00:56I would think about Floyd
01:00:58and wonder if he would approve
01:00:59of how everything had turned out.
01:01:02Then, I would remember his letter,
01:01:04his careful planning,
01:01:06his determination to protect me
01:01:08even after death.
01:01:10I think he would have been
01:01:11very satisfied indeed.
01:01:13The cottage came with a beautiful garden
01:01:15that the previous owners had neglected.
01:01:17I spent my days bringing it back to life,
01:01:20planting roses like the ones
01:01:21Floyd and I had grown together,
01:01:23creating herb gardens and flower beds
01:01:26that bloomed in carefully planned succession
01:01:28throughout the year.
01:01:29It was peaceful work,
01:01:31satisfying in a way that 22 years
01:01:34of managing other people's expectations
01:01:36had never been.
01:01:37For the first time in my adult life,
01:01:40I was accountable to no one but myself.
01:01:43I joined the local gardening club,
01:01:45took watercolor classes at the community college,
01:01:48and even started volunteering
01:01:49at the animal shelter.
01:01:50simple pleasures,
01:01:52but they felt revolutionary
01:01:54after decades of living my life
01:01:55in service to others' needs and wants.
01:01:58One afternoon,
01:02:00while deadheading the roses
01:02:01in my front garden,
01:02:02a young woman stopped by the gate.
01:02:05She was perhaps 30,
01:02:06with kind eyes and a hesitant smile.
01:02:10Excuse me, she said.
01:02:12I'm Sarah Mitchell,
01:02:14James Mitchell's daughter.
01:02:15He told me you might be interested
01:02:17in some volunteer opportunities.
01:02:19I set down my pruning shears
01:02:21and walked over to the gate.
01:02:22What kind of opportunities?
01:02:25I work with women
01:02:26who are trying to escape abusive relationships,
01:02:29financial abuse,
01:02:30emotional manipulation,
01:02:32that sort of thing.
01:02:34Dad said you might understand
01:02:35what they're going through.
01:02:36I thought about the scared,
01:02:38confused woman I'd been just months ago,
01:02:40convinced I was powerless
01:02:42and dependent on the goodwill
01:02:43of people who didn't care about me.
01:02:45I might, I said.
01:02:48Sarah smiled.
01:02:50Would you like to hear about what we do?
01:02:52As we talked,
01:02:53I realized that Floyd's final gift to me
01:02:56hadn't just been financial security.
01:02:58He'd given me something much more valuable,
01:03:00the knowledge that I was stronger
01:03:02than I'd ever imagined,
01:03:04smarter than anyone had given me credit for,
01:03:06and capable of protecting myself
01:03:08and others who needed protecting.
01:03:11Two months later,
01:03:12I established the Floyd Whitaker Foundation
01:03:14for Financial Justice,
01:03:16providing legal support
01:03:18and financial education
01:03:19for victims of family financial abuse.
01:03:22It wasn't the legacy
01:03:23Sidney and Edwin had expected to leave behind,
01:03:26but it was exactly the legacy
01:03:28Floyd would have wanted.
01:03:30Now I'm curious about you
01:03:31who listened to my story.
01:03:33What would you do if you were in my place?
01:03:36Have you ever been through something similar?
01:03:38Comment below.
01:03:40And meanwhile,
01:03:41I'm leaving on the final screen
01:03:43two other stories
01:03:44that are channel favorites,
01:03:45and they will definitely surprise you.
01:03:48Thank you for watching until here.
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