Mom followed him.
Elaine and Dad argued in a parking garage.
Elaine slapped him.
Dad pushed her away.
She stumbled.
Fell backward over a low concrete barrier.
One story below.
She survived the fall initially.
Dad panicked.
Mom called emergency services anonymously.
Then they left.
Elaine died two days later.
“Why didn’t you stay?”
Mom sobbed.
“Because your father had already been investigated by Wexford.
He said we’d lose everything.”
I felt sick.
“You left an injured woman alone?”
“An ambulance came.”
“You didn’t tell the police?”
“No.”
“And Grandma found out?”
Mom looked at me.
“Eventually.”
Now I understood the recordings.
Grandma’s fear.
The medication concerns.
Her distrust.
But one question remained.
“Did Dad hurt Grandma?”
Mom’s face changed.
And that expression terrified me more than any answer.
“What do you know?”
“Sylvie—”
“What do you know?”
She whispered:
“Nothing.”
“That’s not true.”
