“Hey, Mom. Did you get my email?”
“I’ve just read it. Are you sure about the trust?”
“As sure as I can be without talking to Joseph. I attached some screenshots of what I found. Have a look at those.”
“I’ll look at them on my laptop. The screen’s bigger.” She hurried across the room and typed in her password. “How did you find the information about the trust?”
“I searched online for any information about the Carol Hirshfield Trust. I couldn’t find any financial records. If you want to look at those types of things you have to make a request to the trust. But I found Carol Hirshfield’s obituary and a few articles about her husband.”
Shona opened the attachments and skimmed through the text. When she died, Carol was forty-seven years old and the wife of a successful property developer in Los Angeles. Shona’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the name of her only surviving son.
She still didn’t believe that Joseph wouldn’t have told her about the money. “Maybe Joseph’s dad is the person who decides who the trust supports?”
“He could be, but Joseph must have known about it. I mean, if I was giving twenty thousand dollars to a business that was opening where my son lived, I’d talk to him to see if it was a good investment.”
“So would I.” She sat back in her chair and thought about the documents Nate had found. “I need time to read everything you’ve sent me. I’ll call you tonight once I’ve finished work.”
There was a moment of silence on the end of the phone. “Are you upset that I looked for information about the trust?”
“I’m not upset, just shocked about what you’ve found. But I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for why Joseph didn’t say anything.”
“I hope so. I thought about this all night, Mom. If he kept this information from you, what else don’t you know?”
Shona closed her eyes. She’d been thinking the same thing. “I’ll have to talk to Joseph. Thanks for letting me know.”
“That’s okay. I love you, Mom.”
“Love you, too, honey. I’ll call tonight.” Shona ended the call and stared through the window, trying to think of a reason why Joseph wouldn’t have told her.
Andrea placed a cup of coffee beside the laptop. “Is everything all right?”
“I don't know. A couple of weeks ago, Nate asked me who donated the money for my business. I told him the trust’s name, and he did some research. He must have been worried about where the money was coming from.” She glanced at one of the articles about Joseph’s dad. “It looks as though Joseph was somehow involved in the loan. The trust's name is the same as his mother's before she got married.”
Andrea sat beside her. “Does that make a difference?”
“It makes me feel uneasy. Why wouldn’t he tell me about the money?”
“Maybe he was worried it would get in the way of your relationship?”
Shona’s eyes filled with tears. “Or the only reason he spent so much time with me was to make sure I didn’t run off with the money.”
“He wouldn’t have done that.” Andrea rubbed her arm. “He’s a good person.”
“A good person with secrets. He should’ve told me.”
“You’re right. He should have. But don’t give up on him until you know the full story. Have you had breakfast?”
Shona shook her head. “I was sound asleep when you arrived.”
“Sorry. I thought you would’ve been awake ages ago. But that doesn’t change the fact that you need something to eat. Do you want cereal or toast?”
The thought of food made her stomach churn. “I’m not hungry. I’ll have a quick shower and head into work.”
Andrea checked the time. “It’s only eight o’clock. That gives you two hours until your store opens. That’s more than enough time to eat some breakfast.” She moved the cup of coffee and pulled Shona to her feet. “Come on. You can’t think straight on an empty stomach.”
Thinking had never been a problem for her. It was overthinking that caused her the most grief. And, right now, she was overthinking Joseph’s motivation for not telling her the truth. Whichever way she looked at it, it wasn’t good.
And there was only one way to discover the truth. As soon as she’d had breakfast, she would go and see Joseph.
