Chapter 2 - The Security Footage
Grant arrived at my front door exactly ten minutes later, looking absolutely furious.
He stepped into the living room and immediately looked at the small plastic bag sitting on the kitchen counter.
"Those are the painkillers I was prescribed after my knee surgery three years ago," he explained, running a hand through his hair.
"I kept them locked in a drawer in my home office, just in case."
"Melissa must have stolen them when she moved her things into my house last month."
I grabbed a pair of sterile kitchen tongs and carefully placed the plastic bag into a larger Ziploc bag.
"We cannot let our fingerprints get on this," I warned him, sealing the plastic zipper tightly.
Grant nodded in agreement, pulling his own cell phone out of his jacket pocket.
"I already contacted the restaurant manager and paid him to send me the raw security footage," he said.
He tapped the screen and pressed play on a video file, turning the phone toward me.
The grainy video showed the empty dining room about an hour before any of the guests had arrived.
Melissa walked into the frame, looking around nervously to make sure she was completely alone.
She approached the floral screen, knelt down beside Evan's wheelchair, and unzipped the bottom storage compartment.
With a swift motion, she taped the small bag of pills beneath the metal frame and quickly zipped it back up.
Watching her violate my son's safe space made my blood boil all over again.
"She wanted to ruin your life just because you always refused to bow down to her," Grant observed quietly.
"She always hated that my late husband left us financially secure," I added, connecting the final dots.
"If I was arrested for drug possession, my mother would automatically apply for emergency guardianship of Evan."
"And if she got guardianship, she would get full control of Evan's trust fund."
Grant's eyes widened in horror as he realized the true depth of their greed and corruption.
"They weren't just trying to humiliate you, Sarah, they were trying to rob you blind."
"They were willing to throw a disabled teenager into the foster system for a payout."
"We are not letting them get away with this," Grant said, his jaw set in a hard, uncompromising line.
We walked out to his car, ensuring Evan was safely strapped into the passenger seat.
The drive to the police station was quiet, filled with a heavy, tense anticipation.
When we walked through the double glass doors of the precinct, the desk sergeant looked up in surprise.
I placed the sealed plastic bag onto the front counter and looked the officer directly in the eye.
"I need to report a theft, an attempted framing, and a conspiracy to commit fraud," I stated clearly.
May you like
The officer grabbed a notepad and a pen, sensing the absolute seriousness in my voice.
"Alright, ma'am, let's start from the beginning," he said gently.
