I Signed Away Eight Million To Leave Him Chapter 27
My mother’s case had never been closed.
The next day, the police called back and told me that when they couldn’t find the suspect, the investigation had been shelved—but the file had remained open.
It hadn’t just been a vague nightmare from my childhood.
It had a case number, a report date, and records of interviews with estate employees.
And now the missing man had walked right in front of a camera.
The police asked me to return to Palm Beach to give a supplemental statement.
I bought a ticket for the earliest flight the next morning.
Eli packed a bag and asked, “Do you want me in the room with you?”
“They’ll want to question you, too.”
He had heard my father beating my mother. He had seen the bruises on my arms.
“And before that?” he asked.
“Wait outside for me.”
“Okay.”
He didn’t make the choice for me just because we were married.
The interview room at the station was smaller than I remembered.
I sat at the table and told them about that night all over again.
My mother had hidden bus fare under the bed slats.
My father found it, got drunk, and locked the door.
I heard the crack of the belt through the air. I heard a bottle shatter against the wall. I saw my mother collapse onto the kitchen floor, covered in blood.