Alone with her thoughts, curiosity stirred unease into action. Lauren pulled out her laptop, signal faint but holding. She typed Charles Winthrop and Mabel’s surname, then public property records. At first, results aligned: an estate in the next county, an elderly aunt, a nephew listed as caregiver.
Deeds showed transfers over years, Charles’s name steady on powers of attorney. News clippings praised local philanthropy, and solid family ties. Lauren exhaled, almost relieved. It looked right—cared-for wealth, dutiful kin. Yet the note burned in her mind, urging her further.