“How much?”
“Eventually? Nearly eight hundred thousand dollars.”
My eyes widened.
“For what?”
“Businesses. Investments. Gambling debts. Your father wasn’t certain.”
“And Denise?”
“She accused your mother of stealing their parents’ inheritance.”
That sounded like Denise.
Mercer continued.
“Your grandparents apparently helped Denise financially for years. When they died, most of what remained passed to your mother. Denise insisted that meant she’d been cheated.”
“Was she?”
“No.”
He tapped the papers.
“Your grandparents kept records. Denise had already received significantly more during their lifetimes than your mother inherited afterward.”
I stared at the photograph again.
“Then why was Howard at our house?”
“I don’t know.”
Mercer hesitated.
“But your parents were worried enough that they created several safeguards.”
“What safeguards?”
“For one, neither Denise nor Howard can ever control Victoria’s trust assets. Even if they had obtained guardianship, an independent trustee would have controlled every cent.“
I blinked.
“They didn’t know that?”
