I was out of the country for a month doing an exhibition when my mother suddenly hit me on chat, saying she wanted to go home. My mother's deaf, so she typed out a message using handwriting input, [Ysabell, I am just an old country bumpkin, can't get used to living in the city. I'm much happier back in the village.]
I immediately called her for a video chat and noticed what looked like a handprint on her right cheek. Before I could ask what was going on, she hurriedly hung up. On social media, our live-in housekeeper posted a picture of a Mercedes. In the corner of the photo was a rag that looked suspiciously like the scarf I gave my mother.
I called my husband, Jude Zaretsky, to ask what had happened. Alas, he just laughed at my wild guesses. "Jared is a grown man, why would he steal something from an old lady? You're just being paranoid, aren't you?"
However, I heard a man's voice in the background over the phone. "You old hag! If you don't clean the toilet properly, no food for you!"
The more I thought about it, the more something seemed off. I checked the security camera footage, which I had never bothered to look at before and it was completely black. The worst part was that I heard a faint whimper.
——
I stared at my phone, rereading my mother's message. [Ysabell, I'm just a country bumpkin. I really can't get used to living in the city. I feel uncomfortable no matter what I do. I want to go back to the countryside. Can you book me a ticket?]
Being deaf, my mother was not very good at handwriting input and I can only imagine how long it took her to type those words. When I first brought her to the city, she was all smiles and she'd even gotten rid of all the chickens and ducks back home. Why did she suddenly want to go back to the village now? That's really strange.
I quickly called her for a video chat. After a few seconds, the video connected and my mother's wrinkled face flashed on the screen. I notice a red mark on her right cheek. Was it a handprint on her face? My heart skipped a beat. Before I could say anything, my mother quickly hung up. After that, no matter how many messages I sent, she didn't reply.
Then, our live-in housekeeper, Jared Lopez, posted a picture of a Mercedes on his social media. It looked like a brand-new car. The caption below read, Got a new toy, anyone wanna go for a spin?
In the corner of the photo was a rag that looked like the scarf I gave my mother. That scarf was the first thing I bought with my money from a part-time college job and she always treasured it. How could she give it to someone else to use as a rag? I tried to convince her to throw it away a couple of years ago, saying it was too old, but she wouldn't let it go.
I tried to convince myself it was just a coincidence, but the pattern and the worn-out edges were precisely the same as my mother's. I felt a chill run down my spine. Then, I called my husband again. After several rings, he finally picked up. "Honey, what's been going on with Mom lately? Why does she suddenly want to go back? And that scarf ... "
Jude let out a chuckle. "You're being paranoid again. Do you really think Jared would steal from an old lady? Your mom probably threw it away. Besides, your mom changes her mind all the time. How would I know why she suddenly wants to leave? I'm not a mind reader. I'm busy at a business dinner. Gotta go!"
Before I could say anything else, he hung up. A bad feeling settled in my gut. Jared had been hired by Jude six months ago. He told Jared he was a distant relative, a poor kid from a struggling family. Jude swore that the guy was honest and hardworking, willing to do anything to support his family. But now, something wasn't right.
