Chapter Eight
Both men jerked around to gawk at her.
“Are you serious?” Blake asked.
“Unfortunately.”
“Why would she do this?”
Hanna looked at Blake. “Because Mom gave me the house and gave her the car. After Dad left, she cleaned out the bank account, so Mom considered it part of her inheritance.”
“Jesus, I thought my sister was bad,” Bonzer said.
“I think we should go to the sheriff and press charges.”
It would be a good idea if she could prove it. “We can’t prove she did it, Blake.”
Hanna started looking around and sifting through the rubble. She didn’t care about the house, but wanted the pictures her mother had saved.
She saw the corner of one. The picture had been torn apart. She wrapped her arms around herself and felt tears fill her eyes. It was so senseless and just plain hateful.
Bonzer looked thoughtful. “She has your mom’s car?”
Hanna swallowed and then nodded. “Yeah, it’s a nice car. I think it’s only three years old, and my mom hardly drove it, so it has low miles.”
“Shit, did she destroy your stuff?”
Hanna sniffed. “No, I always keep it in my locked vehicle. I even had a lockbox screwed to the floor for the valuable things.”
“Jesus.” Blake looked around.
“Let’s call the sheriff and make a report.”
Hanna nodded. “Yeah, we better.”
Blake turned to Bonzer. “Head back. I’ll come back with her.”
She spun toward him. “Wait, you don’t have to stay here. I’ll just make a report and then find a motel until I’ve figured everything out.”
“No. I’m not leaving you alone with this. I’ve got a lot to make up for. Let me help.”
“You don’t have anything to make up for. It was a long time ago.”
“There are things we still need to talk about. Please, you’ll have your own room and all the space you want. Let me help.”
She studied him for a moment and then sighed. “Fine. But only for a day or so.”
“We’ll see.”
Bonzer waved and took off, and Blake turned away and called the sheriff.
She kept walking around until she heard a car pull up.
Hanna returned to the room and saw Blake and the sheriff shake hands and discuss the vandalism.
The sheriff turned to her, and his eyes widened. “Holy shit, Hanna Black got all grown up.”
She was confused. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place him. She walked forward and held a hand out.
“I’m sorry. I can’t place you.”
He shook her hand. “Grant Dawson. We had chemistry together, and we were lab partners.”
Her eyes widened, and her smile grew. “Oh, wow. I would have never guessed. In high school, you were ... smaller.”
He laughed. “A lot smaller. Hell, I was scrawny. I also had glasses and braces.”
“Yes. Well, you’re all grown up, too.”
Hanna watched the look on Grant’s face when Blake walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She had no idea what was going on, but guessed it was one of those male things they did that women never understood.
“Ah,” Grant said and grinned. “So, it’s that way, huh?”
“Stop being an asshole and do your job,” Blake growled.
Hanna watched Grant throw his head back and laugh, getting even more confused.
“You got it, boss.” The sheriff cleared his throat, bit back another smile, and took out a pen and paper. “So, Miss Hanna, can you tell me what happened?” he said professionally.
“We got back today and found this mess. I suspect it’s my sister, but I can’t prove it.”
Grant glanced up at Blake and then back to her. “Why do you think it was your sister?”
“Do you know my sister?”
“Not personally. I’ve heard many things, but you know how rumors are.”
“I would guess about ninety-nine percent is true with her,” Blake said.
Grant wrote some things down. “When do you think this happened?”
“Probably when I was burying our mother.”
She looked away and blinked several times. She promised herself she would have a good cry later.
Both men looked shocked.
“Please tell me you have proof,” Grant said.
She frowned. “Sorry. I wish I had a video or picture of her doing this, but I don’t. There are a few things I noticed missing. My mom had some morphine left, and it’s gone. I also can’t see the TV and the stereo. They made some food before they broke the dishes.”
“Show me. If I can get saliva, I can test them and prove they were here. I know your sister will say she was just eating with her mom ... but if she had help, I guarantee they’d roll on her.”
Hanna nodded. “That would be great.”
The thought of her sister finally getting what she deserved made her feel slightly elated. She’d been a thorn in her and other people's lives for a long time.
She walked around for another hour to see if she could salvage anything. There were a few pictures that hadn’t gotten totally damaged and could be repaired.
The sheriff had a few men come to the house to take pictures and bag the silverware and glasses to take back to be tested for DNA.
Finally, she sighed and looked toward Blake.
“Are you ready, baby?”
She nodded. “Yeah.” She’d had enough for the day, and she felt like she was living in a dream at the moment. Or was it more like a nightmare?