I almost laughed with relief.
Marcus inspected the basement first. He photographed the blocked window, extension cord, space heater, and furnace clearance before walking upstairs.
Four bedrooms had locks installed on the outside doors. Three were occupied by renters. One tenant, a nursing student named Caleb, showed us his payment history.
“Eighteen hundred a month,” he said. “Vanessa said she owned the house.”
Another renter paid sixteen hundred.
The third paid seventeen-fifty.
I calculated it in my head and went cold.
Vanessa had been collecting over five thousand dollars every month while telling me Mom needed extra money for groceries and medication. I had also been sending another eight hundred on top of every household bill.
Officer Brooks asked Vanessa where the rental income went.
“Expenses.”
“Which expenses?”
She crossed her arms. “I don’t have to explain my finances.”
“You may have to explain someone else’s,” he said.
