Rebecca smiled like she expected me to fold. “My client is concerned about irregularities,” she said. “Specifically elder exploitation and emotional distress affecting judgment.”
I almost laughed.
Instead I smiled politely. “Did your client mention the fifteen-thousand-dollar catering bill he authorized?” I asked. “Or his unauthorized communications claiming to represent me?”
Her expression flickered.
“I think,” I continued, “this conversation would be best with my attorney. She specializes in elder law. Particularly cases involving financial exploitation by adult children.”
Rebecca’s face drained.
She left with less confidence than she arrived.
And as her car pulled away, I realized Brandon wasn’t finished.
He wasn’t just angry.
He was desperate.
Which meant he would escalate.
And I would not be caught unprepared.
Part 5
The first sign Brandon was escalating arrived in the kindest voice imaginable: my tenant’s.
The Patterson family had rented the house for two weeks through the management company—soft-spoken parents, two well-behaved teenage daughters who apologized twice for using the pool. They were so polite it made my recent “guests” feel like a fever dream.