I’m in a daze as I somehow manage to get myself home, surprised to find the police officer in charge of my father’s case standing on my doorstep, a man dressed in a black suit next to her.
“Ms. Jones?” Officer Thomas says, her voice carrying a hint of compassion. “We found the perpetrator. Would it be okay if we spoke inside?”
I nod and lead them to the living room. “I’m Tom from Vita Insurance,” the man tells me, but Officer Thomas shoots him a look, and he sits back in silence.
“Here’s the thing, Alanna,” she says carefully. “We found the assailant, and he confessed. The problem lies in the confession. Your father… he seems to have arranged his own assassination in order to give you his life insurance money. We’ve looked into it as best as we could, and your father was in tremendous debt. I can only imagine that he saw no way out, and this seemed like the best way to shield you from imminent poverty.”
Tom sits up and starts to tap his foot. “Regardless of his motivations, it’s insurance fraud. It’s essentially assisted suicide, which is specifically excluded in our policies. Since you were the recipient, you’ll have to pay back everything you were given.”
“What?” I murmur, barely comprehending what they’re telling me. Dad… he… he did this? He chose to die, even though he knew how hard it was for us to get past Mom’s death? What did I do that made him think I’d rather live without him than live in poverty?
Officer Thomas holds her hand up and shakes her head. “He’ll still be punished for your father’s death, Alanna. But this complicates matters in terms of the insurance money.”
“It can’t be,” I tell her. “Dad would never in a million years do that. He just wouldn’t. Not after my mother took—” I can’t even finish my sentence. It can’t be.
She nods in understanding. “I promise you that I’ve gone over the evidence myself. The assailant had proof of conversations between your father and him, and there was a paper trail, too. Your father tried his best to hide his tracks, but the evidence is all there. We just didn’t know where to look for it, initially.”
He may not have pulled that trigger, but Dad took his own life, just like Mom did. Why would he do that to me? Why would he leave me here, all alone? He and I were left scarred by Mom’s decision, so how could he, in good conscience, follow her lead?
“We understand that this is an unconventional situation, so the insurance company will work with you to figure out the repayments if you don’t have the full sum anymore.”
I nod, my thoughts still reeling. I thought the loss left me numb, that my heart couldn’t possibly break more, yet it does. “I spent some of the money to pay back loans that Dad took out using the house as collateral, and then there’s all of the funeral costs too. I also paid all of his employees their outstanding wages before the company was officially declared bankrupt.”
“In that case, it’ll become tricky. You’ll owe more than you’re able to pay back, and we’ll have to look at your assets,” the insurance guy says.
I nod, but I can barely focus on the conversation. All I can think about is the last few weeks of Dad’s life. Were there any signs I missed? Is there anything I could’ve done to prevent this? I wish I’d tried harder to get through to him, to make sure he knew I loved him more than anything in the world, more than any of our belongings. I wish he’d known I’d happily live in poverty, so long as I get to have him by my side. I wish I hadn’t tried to act strong and brave, so he wouldn’t ever even have considered leaving me.
I wish I could go back in time, so I could convince him to stay.
Chapter Fifteen
Alanna
I walk out of the home I grew up in for the very last time, my heart heavy with regret as I hand the keys to Tom. I spent more of the insurance money than the house is worth, so my home isn’t the only thing I’m losing. Had I not paid my father’s employees their outstanding wages, I might not have been in as much as trouble as I’m in now.
“I’m sorry it came to this, Alanna,” Tom tells me. “I wish there was a different way, but I’ve done all I can for you.”
I nod in understanding. Considering my case was ruled as insurance fraud, he really has done all he could. Tom worked with me to assess the value of all of my belongings, and the insurance company agreed to write off my debt, provided that I give them everything I have, on compassionate grounds. I lost my car, my mother’s jewelry, and even all the paintings Dad and I collected throughout our travels. I’ve got nothing left to my name. Nothing but the contents of my backpack.