Brenda was still grieving the loss of her son, Christopher, who had tragically died at just 27. Her recovery from this unbearable loss had taken her away from the world for a year, but now, she was ready to visit his grave for the first time since his passing.
After traveling hundreds of miles, Brenda arrived in the city where Christopher had lived. She was anxious but determined to pay her respects. As she exited the metro station, she spotted someone familiar: her daughter-in-law, Harper. Overcome with relief and excitement, she hurried after her.
“Harper! Harper!” Brenda called, gently tapping the woman’s shoulder.
The young woman turned, her expression cold. “I’m not Harper,” she snapped before hurrying away.
Confused and unnerved by the encounter, Brenda tried to brush it off and focus on her visit to the cemetery. But the strange interaction lingered in her mind during the cab ride to Christopher’s resting place.
“Ma’am… we’ve arrived,” the cabbie said as he stopped at the cemetery gate, snapping Brenda back to the present.
With flowers in hand, Brenda walked among the rows of graves. She found Christopher’s grave and knelt down, her heart heavy with emotion. As she placed the flowers beside his tombstone, her eyes drifted to the neighboring grave. She froze when she read the epitaph:
“In Loving Memory of Harper S. January 8, 1995 – December 3, 2020.”
Brenda’s mind reeled. Harper was dead? But she had just seen her—or someone who looked exactly like her. The shock left her shaken, and a haunting question followed: If Harper was buried here, who had she encountered at the station?
Determined to find answers, Brenda sought out Jake, Christopher’s best friend and business partner. Jake seemed startled to see her and even more uncomfortable when she asked about Harper’s death.
“Mrs. Sutton, I didn’t want to upset you. After Christopher died, Harper inherited the company, but she didn’t want to manage it. I stepped in, and we tried to save it, but we couldn’t. Harper came up with a plan to take out loans, but a week ago, she withdrew five million dollars and vanished. The police found her burned body in a car crash near the woods. She’s dead.”
Brenda couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It didn’t add up. Why hadn’t anyone told her? And why had the cemetery groundskeeper mentioned that no one attended Harper’s funeral?
Suspicion gnawed at her as Jake hurried to explain. He claimed Harper had died in an accident after betraying everyone, but his nervousness raised more questions than it answered. When Brenda noticed his packed luggage, it only fueled her doubts.
Late that night, Brenda searched Jake’s belongings and found two passports—one for Jake and one for a woman named “Sarah,” who was clearly Harper. They were planning to escape together.
With this shocking revelation, Brenda knew she had to act quickly. She spiked Jake’s drink with sleeping pills and called the police when Harper arrived at the house the next morning.
The truth came out: Harper and Jake had faked her death to escape with the stolen money. Thanks to Brenda’s persistence, they were arrested, and justice was served.