Make the victim doubt herself.
Make everyone around her doubt her.
Then take control.
Helen leaned closer.
“Emma, I need to tell you something about Agnes.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“What?”
“She was the one who recommended Silver Hearth.”
I stared at her.
“Before she died?”
Helen nodded.
“She said Marian had built a wonderful organization. She encouraged all of us to register for its services.”
“Did Agnes use those services herself?”
Helen thought for a moment.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“She said she didn't need them.”
I felt something shift.
Agnes had persuaded her friends to trust a charity run by her daughter.
Then Agnes supposedly died.
Then the other women began losing control of their homes.
I remembered Mom saying Agnes had always been the strongest voice in the Seven Oaks Circle.
The organizer.
The negotiator.
The woman who convinced everyone else that joining together would protect their futures.
Had someone exploited that trust?
