I showed up to Christmas dinner on a cast, still limping from when my daughter-in-law had shoved me days earlier. My son just laughed and said, “She taught you a lesson—you had it coming.” Then the doorbell rang. I smiled, opened it, and said, “Come in, officer.”

I also hired Mitch, a private investigator and former cop. I wanted to know what they did when they were “at work” or “visiting friends.”

Mitch’s report shattered the remaining illusions. Jeffrey and Melanie had never given up their old apartment—they were using it as a secret base, funded by my money, where they enjoyed expensive wine, restaurants, and shopping.

Melanie wasn’t working; her “client meetings” were spa days and luxury malls. She was also meeting regularly with a lawyer named Julian Perez, a specialist in elder guardianship cases. Mitch confirmed she’d consulted him about having me declared legally incompetent so they could gain full control over my finances and medical decisions.

Then came the most chilling piece: before marrying Jeffrey, Melanie had been married to a seventy-two-year-old man who died less than a year later, leaving her nearly half a million dollars. Another previous husband, in his sixties, had also died conveniently soon after their wedding. Officially, both deaths were natural. Suddenly, they didn’t look so natural.

Changing the Will and Tightening the Net

I met with Dr. Arnold Turner, my lawyer. Quietly, we rewrote my will:

The bakeries and half my money would go to a charity for underprivileged children.

The house and remaining money would go to my hardworking nephew, Ryan.

Jeffrey would receive only $100,000—enough that he couldn’t claim I’d forgotten him, but little enough to show my disgust.Continue reading…