Gregory insisted his power of attorney allowed him to handle my affairs. Tamsin bluntly said they needed the money. Neither could explain why her mother was buying my home at such a massive discount. I immediately contacted a Providence attorney, who investigated the transaction. A recent appraisal showed the property was worth considerably more than the proposed price. Then he uncovered something far worse than an unfair deal.

Among the closing documents was an authorization supposedly signed by me. I stared at my name on the page and knew immediately it wasn’t mine. Whoever had written it had done a convincing job, but tiny details were wrong. My attorney looked across his desk and said, “Eloise, we need to stop this closing immediately.” The title company froze the transaction the following morning. Gregory’s calls changed from angry to frightened. Eventually, he admitted Tamsin’s mother had promised to help them financially if she could acquire my house cheaply.