Chapter 5 - The Rediscovered Mind
The atmosphere in Callie’s small apartment had become a sanctuary of strategy. Geneva, whose lucidity tended to ebb and flow like a tide, was having a particularly "clear" day. She sat at the kitchen table, her hands steady as she traced the lines of an old blueprint of the Fairview house—the family home Joel had so unceremoniously sold.
“The deed isn’t just a piece of paper, Callie,” Geneva said, her voice lacking the tremors of her supposed illness. “When my husband built the foundation, he didn't trust banks. He didn't trust government records. He carved a cavity into the hearth of the living room fireplace. There’s a secondary deed there—the original, never registered in the public system, but legally binding because it predates the state’s involvement in that land.”
Callie leaned in, her mind racing. “If you have the original, then the forgery Joel used to sell the house is legally null and void. But why didn't you stop them sooner?”
Geneva’s expression turned somber. “Because I saw the greed in their eyes years ago. I kept the original secret to see if they would ever prove themselves worthy of the inheritance. Instead, they showed me exactly who they were. They thought they could erase my mind, but they only erased their own chances.”
Callie realized the gravity of the situation. They weren't just fighting for property; they were fighting for the truth. However, they needed to move fast. If Joel realized the "original" deed existed, he would burn the house to the ground to ensure it was never found.
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“I need to get you out of the city,” Callie decided. “If you are safe, I can go back to the house and retrieve it.”
Geneva shook her head firmly. “No. We go together. The sight of me, alive and clear-headed, will be the final nail in Joel’s coffin. He needs me to be the confused, dying woman to sell his narrative. We won't give him that.”
