Chapter 8 - THE HOUSE WITH NO OWNER
The investigation into Teresa Balandi's property transfer uncovered a larger problem.
Her house had been moved into a trust without valid authorization.
The original documents bore a suspicious notarial impression.
And Franklin Doyle had received payments from a Thornfield-controlled account.
Rafe confronted Franklin through legal counsel.
Franklin denied wrongdoing.
He claimed Teresa had voluntarily transferred the property to cover care expenses.
But the records contradicted him.
Teresa had substantial savings.
Her medical bills had been paid.
And the house had been transferred months before her death.
Birdie's letter became important evidence.
It showed that Teresa had expressed concern about the property and medication decisions while she was alive.
Rafe read the letter repeatedly.
Then placed it in a protective sleeve.
One afternoon, he visited the Federal Hill house.
The front garden was overgrown.
The shutters were peeling.
And the kitchen smelled of dust.
He stood beside the old stove.
He remembered his mother making Sunday sauce.
The radio playing.
His father laughing in the next room.
For years, he'd believed the house was gone because he hadn't paid enough attention.
Now he understood someone had taken it.
Mave joined him later.
She stood quietly in the doorway.
Rafe looked at her.
"I used to think money could protect my family."
Mave glanced around the kitchen.
"Did it?"
He shook his head.
"No."
She stepped closer.
"Maybe protection isn't the same as control."
Rafe looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Sometimes protecting someone means making sure they can make their own decisions."
He considered that.
Then nodded.
They walked through the house.
In the back bedroom, Mave noticed a small framed photograph.
Teresa stood beside a younger Rafe.
He was smiling.
Not the restrained expression he wore now.
A real smile.
Mave pointed.
"You looked happy."
Rafe studied the picture.
"I was."
She looked at him.
"You could be again."
He turned toward her.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Rafe reached for her hand.
She let him take it.
Outside, the winter sun broke through the clouds.
May you like
And for the first time in years, the old house felt less like a place where something had been lost.
More like somewhere a future might begin.
