My Son Tried To Force Me Into A Nursing Home Days After My Husband’s Funeral. He Didn’t Realize My Late Husband Left Me A Secret Package From Beyond The Grave. Am I Wrong For Sending His Wife To Prison?

Stacks of Evidence

Everything suddenly made terrible sense. The way I had started to doubt myself, the way I had accepted Brian and Crystal’s concern as genuine. The way I had almost believed I was losing my mind. “What do I do now?”. I asked.

“First, we go to the bank and retrieve the contents of the safe deposit box.”. Harold said. “Then we review the evidence, and then, Eleanor, we decide how you want to proceed.”.

Legally, we drove to First National Bank together. Harold waited while I opened the safe deposit box with trembling hands. Inside I found stacks of documents: bank statements showing withdrawals I hadn’t authorized, credit card statements in my name for accounts I had never opened, and photographs. Dozens of photographs of Crystal at expensive stores, at a jewelry boutique, and at a car dealership looking at luxury vehicles.

There was also another USB drive with a sticky note attached. “Security camera footage. Watch with Harold.”. Back at Harold’s office, we inserted the USB into his computer. The first video was from a camera in Walter’s home office, one I hadn’t known existed.

The footage showed Brian and Crystal sitting on Walter’s leather couch. “Dad is going to sign the papers eventually.”. Brian was saying. “He just needs more convincing.”. “And if he doesn’t?”. Crystal asked.

“Then we wait.”. Brian answered. “He’s not exactly young.”. “And once he’s gone, Mom will be easy.”. “She’s already starting to believe something’s wrong with her memory.”.

The Nursing Home Plan

“The nursing home in Round Rock is ready whenever we need it.”. Crystal said. “My friend Sarah works there.”. *”She said once Eleanor is admitted, it’s very hard for her to contest anything, especially if we have medical documentation of dementia.”.

Brian nodded. “And the house market’s good right now.”. He said. “We could get 700,000 at least, plus his retirement accounts and the life insurance.”. “We’re looking at close to a million total.”.

I watched my son and daughter-in-law discuss my future like I was already dead, calculating the value of my life in dollars and cents. The video continued. Crystal leaned forward. “What about your father?”. She asked. “He’s asking too many questions.”.

Brian’s expression darkened. “Dad needs to stop being so stubborn.”. He said. “I’ve tried to explain that we’re in trouble, that we need help, but he keeps saying we should face our consequences.”.

“Easy for him to say.”. Brian continued. “He’s never made a bad decision in his life.”. “Well,”. Crystal said slowly. “Stress is bad for his heart.”. “The doctor said so.”. “Maybe if he realized how serious our situation is, how dangerous the people Brian owes money to can be—”.

I stopped the video. I couldn’t watch anymore. “They were going to threaten him.”. I said, my voice barely audible. “They were going to scare him knowing it could trigger a heart attack.”.

Facing Consequences

Harold’s face was grave. “We don’t know that for certain, Eleanor, but we do know they were planning to take everything from you and we have proof.”. I sat in silence for a long moment, trying to reconcile the son I had raised with the stranger on that video. Brian, my little boy who used to bring me dandelions from the backyard, who cried when his goldfish died, who told me I was the best mom in the world on every Mother’s Day card.

How would that boy become this man? “What are my options?”. I finally asked. “You can report the identity theft to the police.”. Harold replied.

“Crystal opened those credit cards fraudulently and she’s been making purchases.”. He continued. “That’s a felony.”. “You can also file charges related to the financial exploitation of an elderly person.”. “Texas takes elder abuse very seriously.”.

“And Brian?”. I asked. “Brian was complicit in the fraud.”. Harold said. “He may face charges as well.”.

I closed my eyes. “I don’t know if I can send my son to prison, Harold.”. I whispered. “You don’t have to decide that today, but you do need to protect yourself.”. He replied. “Starting now.”.

That afternoon Harold helped me take the first steps. We froze all my bank accounts and opened new ones that Brian and Crystal didn’t have access to. We reported the fraudulent credit cards to the police. We changed the locks on my house. And then we waited.

Pounding on the Door

Brian called me seven times that evening. I didn’t answer. He texted me 12 times, each message more desperate than the last.

“Mom, where are you?”. “Mom, we’re worried about you.”. “Mom, why aren’t you answering?”. “Mom, please call us back.”. “Crystal is crying.”. “She thinks something happened to you.”.

I turned off my phone. The next morning Brian and Crystal showed up at my door at 7:30. I watched them through the window as Brian tried his key and discovered it didn’t work.

“Mom!”. He pounded on the door. “Mom, why did you change the locks?”. “Let us in!”.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. “Good morning, Brian, Crystal.”. I said. “Mom, what’s going on?”. Brian asked. “We’ve been worried sick.”. “You weren’t answering your phone.”. “You changed the locks.”.

“Come in.”. I said. “We need to talk.”. They followed me into the living room, exchanging glances I now recognized as calculated rather than concerned.

“Mom, are you feeling okay?”. Crystal asked, using that sweet voice I now knew was fake. “You seem upset.”. “Maybe you should sit down.”. “I’m fine.”. I answered.

The Mask Slips

“But you’re right, I am upset.”. I continued. “I’m upset because I spent yesterday with Harold Morrison, Walter’s law partner.”. Brian’s face went pale. “Why were you with Harold?”. He asked.

“Because Walter left something for me.”. I answered. “Something he didn’t want you to know about.”. I pulled the folder of documents from under the couch cushion where I had hidden it the night before. “Would you like to explain these credit cards in my name, Crystal, the ones you’ve been using to buy jewelry and designer clothes?”.

Crystal’s mask slipped for just a moment before she recovered. “Eleanor, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”. She said. “Those must be fraudulent.”. “Someone must have stolen your identity.”.

“Yes, someone did.”. I said. “You.”. Brian stepped forward. “Mom, listen to yourself.”. He said. “You’re confused.”. “This is exactly what we were worried about.”. “You’re not thinking clearly.”.