The Road to Maine is Bloody Part 9

“The only way he’d get anything is if she were to die. In other letter’s I found, he said he’d taken out a million dollar life insurance policy on her.” She paused looking at Stephen whose eyes were wide and filled with a flurry of emotions.

Ashley sighed and sat back on the leather sofa. “I know, it sounds like a story right out of Behind Mansion Walls. The twist is, my stepfather didn’t have any money of his own to speak of, it all belonged to my mother from her success as an actress but I don’t have to tell you that, except what she didn’t give him, he stole from her. Before she realized what was happening, he was taking large amounts of money out of their bank account and using it to buy his Mistress things.”

“My mother found out about it and she cut him off completely. She closed her account and opened a new one that he couldn’t access and told him she wanted a divorce. He’d always claimed he was the one that ended things but it was really his way of not taking responsibility for what he’d done.” 

“I never showed my mom the letters and he never knew I’d read them. He originally moved out to California to be with her but found out she too was married and gone back to her husband and they were working things out. He was furious and he tried to contact her but her husband confronted him and nearly beat him to death. After he recovered, he never spoke of her again and a month later my Mom was dead. The police found his DNA at the scene but couldn’t prove it was there the day she died and he was no longer a suspect.” Ashley felt a lump in her throat and her lip was quivering again.

Stephen reached for a tissue in the silver holder and handed it to her and frowned. “What happened with the will? Did your stepfather get anything from it?”

Ashley shook her head. “Since my mother filed for divorce, the insurance policy became null and void. My stepfather died of cancer before he could be charged. He killed her spirit and Mom still mourned for him in spite of it all.”