“Ms.
Delgado, I was given this number by your attorney.
I need to clarify something about today’s move.”
“Go ahead.”
“The women at the property told us you had relocated permanently and that they were authorized to clear the house.”
“Did they show you anything from me?”
There was a pause.
“No.
Your mother signed our inventory authorization as the person supervising access.”
“Did she say she owned the contents?”
“She said it was family property and that you had agreed to the relocation.”
I looked through the car window at the Denver traffic sliding past.
“I did not.”
“I understand that now.”
Eric explained that his company had received a preservation request from Philip and had contacted the driver.
The truck had not reached Arizona.
It had been directed to a secured company yard while ownership of the contents was clarified.
My mother and sister did not know that yet.
“Is everything still there?” I asked.
“As far as the inventory shows, yes.
Nothing has been released.”
“What about the record player?”
“I remember that one.
Your sister became nervous when she noticed something underneath it.”
“The tracker.”
“That would explain it.”
He hesitated.
“There’s something else you should probably know.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“What?”
“Your mother told us to load the cedar chest last.
She and your sister argued about opening it first.
I heard your sister say, ‘If the papers are still in there, we need those too.’”
Papers.
That word sent me straight back to my father’s final months.
The cedar chest had once held old photographs, military records from my grandfather, insurance policies, property documents, and decades of family paperwork.
After Dad died, I had removed anything legally important and placed it with Philip.
My mother did not know that.
Danny apparently did not either.
I called Philip.
He listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he said, “That explains a question I’ve had for several weeks.”
“What question?”
“Someone contacted my office pretending to be you.”
I stopped walking.
“What?”
“They asked whether your father’s estate file contained any document granting your mother continuing authority over assets titled in your name.”
“When?”
“Five weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because the caller failed verification immediately and received nothing.
We logged it.
At the time, I couldn’t prove who it was.”
“Can you now?”
“I can prove it happened.
The rest goes where the evidence takes it.”
