Chapter 8 - THE LIE JANICE COULD NOT EXPLAIN
Savannah agreed to meet Janice in a supervised family-services office.
Her mother looked exhausted.
For once, Savannah felt no urge to comfort her.
She placed the trust statement on the table.
“What happened to Milo's money?”
Janice closed her eyes.
“Derek handled the finances.”
“You were trustee.”
“He told me everything was legal.”
“Did you buy the house with Milo's money?”
Silence.
“The truck?”
Janice stared at her.
“The vacation to Florida?”
“We took Milo.”
Savannah almost laughed.
“That doesn't make a family vacation an educational expense.”
“You don't understand how hard things were.”
“No. I understand perfectly.”
Savannah leaned forward.
“You had access to money that belonged to an eight-year-old.”
“I was going to replace it.”
“With what?”
Janice's eyes filled with tears.
Savannah refused to let tears redirect the conversation.
“Why did you lie about Caleb?”
“Because he was unstable.”
“Did Derek record those threatening messages?”
Janice's head snapped up.
Savannah knew.
“Oh my God.”
“Savannah—”
“He did.”
“It wasn't that simple.”
“Did Derek record them?”
Janice whispered:
“Yes.”
Savannah stared at her mother.
“Why?”
Janice began crying.
“At first I just wanted Caleb to stop fighting me over custody.”
“So you framed him?”
“I was scared.”
“Of losing Milo?”
“Yes.”
“Or losing his money?”
Janice slammed her palm against the table.
“There was no trust then!”
Savannah stopped.
That was true.
Milo's grandmother died years later.
So the original lie hadn't started with money.
That made it more complicated.
Janice wiped her face.
“I wanted a clean break.”
“From Milo's father.”
“Yes.”
“And Derek helped you manufacture one.”
Janice nodded.
Savannah sat back.
“Then when the money arrived?”
Janice didn't answer.
“You already knew Caleb couldn't get near Milo.”
Still nothing.
“And Derek realized nobody was watching.”
Janice whispered:
“Yes.”
For the first time, Savannah saw the structure of the whole disaster.
One lie had been created to control access to a child.
Years later, that same lie became the perfect cover for theft.
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And when Milo became old enough to notice things—
Derek started making him afraid to speak.
