Chapter 5: The Blue Folder
"Calvin.""
He looked up.
"Where is the blue folder?""
His expression changed so quickly that I almost missed it.
"What blue folder?""
"The one in my filing cabinet.""
He shook his head.
"I don't know what you're talking about.""
I held up my phone.
"Bernice seems to know.""
Daphne took a step toward me.
"Gloria, your cousin is confused. She's been helping us with paperwork. She doesn't understand the business.""
I looked at her.
"Then why is she warning me about my own son?""
Calvin rubbed his face.
"Mom, please. Can we discuss this privately?""
"No.""
He glanced at the guests.
"You're embarrassing me.""
I almost smiled.
There it was again.
Even now, his greatest concern was what people thought of him.
I turned toward the dining room.
"Bernice!""
A moment later, my cousin appeared in the doorway.
She was sixty-four, with short silver-streaked hair and a navy-blue dress.
Her eyes were red.
When she saw Calvin, she stopped walking.
"Gloria, can I speak to you?""
"Right here.""
Bernice looked at the documents on the table.
Then she looked at my son.
"Calvin, you told me she had agreed.""
He crossed his arms.
"Not now, Aunt Bernice.""
"No. Now.""
Her voice trembled.
"You told me your mother wanted to transfer the property into a family trust. You said the paperwork was already approved.""
Calvin sighed.
"That's what we were doing.""
Bernice shook her head.
"You showed me a document with her name already signed. You said you needed me to witness the transaction because she was unavailable.""
I stared at her.
"You signed as a witness?""
Bernice lowered her eyes.
"I did.""
My heart sank.
"Bernice...""
"I thought I was helping you, Gloria. I swear I did.""
She reached into her handbag and pulled out a folded sheet.
"I didn't know anything was wrong until yesterday.""
I took it.
It was an email printout.
The sender was a lawyer whose name I didn't recognize.
The subject line read:
*URGENT — PROPERTY TRANSFER VERIFICATION.*
Bernice explained.
"A woman from the title company called me. She wanted to confirm that I had personally witnessed your signature.""
"What did you tell her?""
"I told her I had witnessed Calvin's paperwork, but I had never seen you sign anything.""
Calvin's face hardened.
"You shouldn't have spoken to them.""
Bernice looked directly at him.
"You lied to me.""
"I was trying to help everybody.""
"By stealing your mother's house?""
He stepped forward.
"Watch how you talk to me.""
Bernice didn't move.
"I changed your diapers when Gloria worked nights. I sat with you when your father died. Don't you dare threaten me.""
For the first time that evening, Calvin looked genuinely ashamed.
But it lasted only a moment.
He turned toward me.
"Mom, can we please stop letting everybody interfere?""
I pointed toward the staircase.
"Go upstairs and bring me the blue folder.""
He didn't move.
"Now, Calvin.""
He glanced at Daphne.
She shook her head almost imperceptibly.
That was enough.
I knew the folder existed.
And I knew they were afraid of what I might find inside it.
Leon stepped closer.
"Ms. Gloria, perhaps you should know what was in the original property application.""
I turned toward him.
"What?""
He opened his briefcase and removed a photocopy.
It was a valuation report.
The house was listed at $685,000.
But beneath the estimated value was a section titled:
*Proposed Disposition of Property.*
My eyes moved down the page.
The house was scheduled to be transferred into Harris Property Holdings, then used as collateral for a loan.
But something else caught my attention.
There was a proposed sale date.
Six weeks away.
And the intended buyer was a company called Northbridge Residential Group.
"Who owns this company?"" I asked.
Leon looked toward Daphne.
"That's what I was investigating.""
Daphne laughed nervously.
"You're making things up.""
Leon turned a page.
"The company was registered eight months ago. Its principal contact is a woman named Denise Walker.""
Daphne's face changed.
I looked at her.
"Who is Denise Walker?""
She didn't answer.
Bernice stepped forward.
"That's her sister.""
Calvin suddenly shouted.
"Aunt Bernice!""
Bernice flinched but continued.
"Daphne's sister works in real estate. She visited this house twice. I thought she was helping with the engagement arrangements.""
I looked at Daphne.
"Your sister came here?""
"Yes, but—"
"Without telling me?""
"She was looking at the neighborhood!""
I stared at the valuation report.
Then I understood.
They hadn't simply wanted to borrow money against my house.
They had already prepared a way to sell it.
Calvin moved toward the staircase.
"I'm getting my things.""
"Not the folder," I said.
He stopped.
"Mom, I need that folder.""
"Why?""
"Because those are private business records.""
I held his gaze.
"They are in my filing cabinet, in my house, under my name.""
He clenched his jaw.
Then he walked upstairs.
I followed him.
So did Leon.
At the top of the stairs, Calvin hurried toward the small office Robert and I had shared.
He opened the door and went straight to the filing cabinet.
I reached it first.
The bottom drawer was slightly open.
Inside, the blue folder was missing.
I turned toward him.
"Where is it?""
Calvin looked genuinely confused.
"I don't know.""
Then Bernice called from the hallway.
"Gloria!""
She was holding her phone.
"I found something.""
She showed me a photograph.
It had been taken two days earlier.
Calvin was standing in front of the filing cabinet, holding the blue folder.
Beside him was Daphne.
And standing behind them was a man I recognized from the engagement party.
Marcus Reed.
The notary.
I looked at Calvin.
"Why was the notary in my house?""
He didn't answer.
Bernice enlarged the photograph.
There was something else.
Marcus was holding a second folder.
A red one.
Written across its front were the words:
*FINAL TRANSFER — GLORIA HARRIS.*
Leon leaned over my shoulder.
His face tightened.
"That's not a standard property transfer file.""
"What is it?""
He pointed to the bottom corner.
A small company logo appeared beside the words.
Northbridge Residential Group.
Then Leon looked at Calvin.
"Your son isn't the only person who signed those documents.""
Calvin's phone began ringing.
He glanced at the screen.
The caller's name was displayed.
*DENISE WALKER.*
Daphne stared at the phone.
"Don't answer it.""
Calvin pressed the green button anyway.
"Hello?""
A woman's frantic voice came through the speaker.
"Calvin, listen carefully. The bank just froze the transaction.""
He closed his eyes.
"What?""
"And somebody sent them the original death investigation.""
Leon stepped forward.
"Tell Denise I said hello.""
Silence.
Then the woman on the phone whispered:
"Leon?""
Calvin slowly lowered the phone.
May you like
Daphne looked at the screen.
And for the first time, she seemed to realize that the dead man had brought more than his own story back to life.
