Page 41 of Keel

Chapter 22

Frankie refused to tell Keel how much she hated the idea of him leaving town. He didn’t need that on him, and she could exist alone for a while. If she wanted a relationship with him, she had to get used to this. And it was a hell of a lot better than the abuse from Forest.

Besides, she was getting together with Ansley and Garnet on Friday night, and they were planning on hanging out all day on Saturday. Then they were going to do grocery shopping together. She’d decided to make a few meals so the next week they would have easy food to prep. She knew it wasn’t necessary, but it would give her something to do.

She received a call early the morning Keel left, stating that a woman would be stopping by around noon to verify her identity. It was weird having someone over.

Close to noon, she heard a door slam out front and moved to the window. A middle-aged woman stepped from the car and headed up the walk. Frankie realized her hands were shaking, and she squeezed them together, forcing herself to calm down.

She turned off the alarm and then opened the door, welcoming the stranger inside. As the woman stepped in, panic filled Frankie. What if she’d made a mistake letting this stranger inside the house? What if it wasn’t the person here to verify her identity?

“Hello, I’m Mable from the lawyer’s office. I’m here to make sure you are who you say you are, and check in.”

“Oh, thank goodness. For a minute there, I panicked that you weren’t from the lawyer’s office.”

Mable chuckled. “No, it’s me. But I get it. I should have called before I knocked.”

Though her hands were still shaking, she shook the woman’s hand and then led her into the main room. “I’m Frankie, or Francine Elizabeth Zaleski. I’m sorry I disappeared for so long. My life was not great.”

Mable shrugged. “Eh, it’s okay. I’m glad you’re safe and happy now. You are safe, right? That man who tried to get your money is gone from your life?”

Frankie nodded. “Yes, ma’am. He’s gone for good.”

The woman’s lips tipped up in a smile, but she still looked unsatisfied, like she needed to dig more before she trusted her words. Frankie got it. She’d trusted the wrong person, and her life had blown up. She winced at the thought. Her parents’ lives had been the ones to blow up. Her downfall had been of her own making.

“You are older now, and normally the restrictions ease, but with you being gone for so long, some of the restrictions will stay in place. It’s not too bad, though. You aren’t being placed under a conservatorship.”

“Conservatorship?”

The woman at least had the decency to wince. “Yeah, sorry. It’s just sometimes young people with money don’t make the best decisions, and the courts appoint someone to control the money and decisions for the person. The judge just extended the restrictions for eight years. So you’ll have access to the money, but at a slow rate.”

“Oh. That sounds reasonable.” Frankie took a seat and clasped her hands together on her lap. She’d really messed her life up being with Forest. She should have known better, but she hadn’t had a good grasp on life. It wasn’t that he’d overwhelmed her. He’d just taken over, and she’d fallen for his bullshit. “I’m working on healing myself. I really just need money for therapy and a few odds and ends. Not a lot.”

“Okay. Let me get a look at your ID, and then we need to talk about getting drug tested.”

Her gaze flew to the woman as panic set in. Not that she was doing drugs now, but those words struck fear in her. What if she failed? How long did it take for the drugs to get out of her system?

She’d stopped on her own, but she knew Forest had slipped stuff into her drinks a few times in the last six months. Maybe she shouldn’t panic in front of this woman, but she needed this to work out.

“Drug tested?”

“Yes. You aren’t taking anything?”

She shook her head. “No, I quit doing stuff with Forest months ago, but he spiked my drinks at least twice in the last few months.”

Mable placed a hand on Frankie’s arm. “It’s okay. Most drug tests look for stuff you’ve taken in the last few days. We’re not doing a hair strand test, just seeing if you’re clean now. PCP is about two weeks, and the other tests are about a week max. So by the time you go for the test, you should be clear. I do have a swab for your mouth, just to see what we’re working with.”

“Oh.”

“But it isn’t going to the judge. It’s just for us to know if we need to get you into a rehab center right away.”

Relief slipped through her, and it was like she melted as her shoulders dropped. “Okay. I think the last time Forest slipped me something was a month ago. I stopped drinking anything he gave me after the last time. I should have taken off years ago, but I—never mind. I was dumb and paid for it.”

“I’m sorry. You aren’t the only woman I’ve visited who has the same story. You aren’t alone, and you’re brave for walking away from him.”

She blinked at Mable, surprise filling her. “You see this a lot?”

“Yes. You’d be surprised how many men find a woman who has money, and they use drugs to control her.”