My Son Invited Me To Our Remote Cabin To ‘bond.’ Then A Stranger Called At Midnight Warning Me Not To Go. My Life Insurance Was Doubled Yesterday, And Now I’m Terrified. What Do I Do?
I shook my head.
“He’s my son.”
“He tried to have you killed.”
“I need to hear it from him. I need to know why.”
Tom sighed.
“Then we do it right. I’m calling Detective Sarah Morrison. She handles fraud and attempted murder. We get a warrant, we wire you up, and we bring him down. But Richard, you need to understand: if we do this, there’s no going back. Your son will go to prison.”
“If we don’t do this, I’ll be dead.”
Saturday morning, I drove up to Evergreen. The cabin sat on 5 acres overlooking Lake Evergreen, surrounded by pine trees.
I’d bought it 20 years ago as a weekend retreat. David had loved it here as a teenager.,
We’d gone fishing, hiked the trails, and sat on that deck watching sunsets. The wire was taped to my chest, invisible under my flannel shirt.
Detective Morrison and two officers were positioned in the woods, listening. Tom was with them.
My hand shook as I unlocked the cabin door. David was already inside. He must have seen my car pull up.
“Dad, you made it.”
He wrapped me in a hug. I felt his arms around me and wanted to weep.
“Wouldn’t miss it,”
I said.
My voice sounded normal. Years of engineering meetings had taught me to stay calm under pressure.
Amanda appeared from the kitchen, her smile bright.
“Richard, it’s so good to see you! I made your favorite pot roast.”
We ate dinner on the deck, the sun setting over the lake. They asked about my week, my health, my plans—normal conversation, loving conversation.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think they actually cared. After dinner, David suggested we take our coffee out on the deck like old times.
“Dad, just you and me.”,
Amanda excused herself.
“I’ll do the dishes.”
But I saw her glance at David. A look passed between them.
We stood at the railing, mugs in hand. The drop below was sheer, rocks jutting from the water 40 feet down.
The railing felt solid under my hand, but I knew it wasn’t. David had made sure of that.
“Dad,”
David said, his voice soft.
“I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“What’s that?”
“Your health. I’ve been worried you’re forgetting things. Last month, you called me twice asking the same question, and Tom mentioned you got confused about your account numbers.”
I hadn’t called him twice. I hadn’t talked to Tom about any confusion.
“I’m fine, son.”
“Are you, though? Because I think it’s time we talked about your future: the cabin, your house, your finances. You need help managing everything.”
“I want to help you, Dad. Let me help you.”
“How would you help?”
“Well, I’ve already set some things up. Made sure your insurance is in order, organized your accounts. I have power of attorney now, so I can make sure bills get paid, that you’re taken care of if anything happens.”,
“If anything happens?”
He looked out at the lake.
“You’re not young anymore, Dad. Accidents happen, especially at places like this. It would kill me if something happened to you and I wasn’t prepared to handle your affairs.”
My heart hammered.
“What kind of accidents?”
“Oh, you know—falls, heart attacks, drowning. The deck’s getting old. I was checking it earlier. Some of the railings are loose. Someone could lean on them wrong, and…”
He trailed off, but his meaning was clear.
“So you’ve thought about this.”
“Of course I have. I’m your son. It’s my job to think about these things.”
He turned to face me.
“Actually, that’s part of why I wanted you up here this weekend—to talk about making some changes. Updating your will, making sure everything’s clear. You’d want me to take care of things if you couldn’t, right?”
“Everything meaning your inheritance?”
Something flickered across his face.
“You make it sound mercenary. I’m your only child, Dad. Who else would handle your estate?”
“Handle it, or help it along?”,
The silence stretched. David’s smile faded.
“What are you saying?”
I pulled out my phone and showed him the insurance documents Tom had sent.
“I’m saying I know about the $1.3 million policy, the forged medical records, the power of attorney I never signed, the $67,000 you’ve stolen, and the rifle you bought on Tuesday.”
David’s face went white, then red.
“Who told you? Was it that insurance guy? I knew he was too interested in the paperwork. I should have gone to a different company.”
“So you admit it.”
“Admit what? That I planned ahead? That I made sure I’d be taken care of after you die? That’s not a crime, Dad. It’s called being smart.”
“Being smart? You forge me and make it look like an accident?”
David laughed, a sharp, bitter sound.
“Kill you? Come on, Dad. I just encouraged fate. You’re old, you’re unsteady. Accidents happen to old people. I was just making sure that when yours happened, it would be worth it.”
“Worth it?”
“Do you know how much debt I’m in? Amanda’s shopping habits, the house we can’t afford, her family expectations. We’re drowning, Dad. And you’re sitting on nearly a million in assets, plus that insurance payout. You don’t even need it.”,
“You live in that house alone. You barely go anywhere. You don’t spend money on anything. What’s the point of you having all that money when we need it now?”
I stared at my son.
“So your plan was to push me off this deck.”
“I wasn’t going to push you. The railing would give way. You’d fall. Tragic accident. And I’d inherit what should have been mine anyway.”
“Mom’s been dead for 5 years. You should have given me my inheritance then. But no, you held on to everything, living your sad little life while Amanda and I struggle.”
“Your inheritance? I earned that money.”
