Chapter 5 - The house I thought Cole was nowhere near
Cole Maddox was not supposed to be staying at the property.
That was an important boundary Rachel and I had discussed.
Cole had spent years moving between decent jobs and financial disasters.
Construction.
Warehouse management.
Roofing sales.
Then a divorce.
Then pain pills after a shoulder injury.
Then treatment.
Then several years of apparent stability.
I did not hate him.
I did not trust him with money.
Six months earlier, he asked to stay in our guest room.
I said no.
Rachel was furious.
“He’s my brother.”
“He also borrowed nine thousand dollars from your mother and never explained where it went.”
“He paid her back.”
“Half.”
“He’s working.”
“Then he can rent somewhere.”
Eventually he moved into a weekly motel.
Or so I believed.
Two months before my trip, Rachel began helping clear her uncle’s property for sale.
Apparently Cole had started sleeping there.
She never told me.
Why?
May you like
Because she knew I would object.
That became a theme.
