Margaret Questioned One Hospital Charge She Never Made — Then Emma Found Years of Visits Under Her Grandmother’s Name
Chapter 4 — Alice’s Old Medical Folder
Margaret went home and searched Alice’s remaining belongings.
Most had been donated years earlier.
But one plastic file box remained in the guest-room closet.
Emma helped.
Inside were old medical statements.
Prescription receipts.
Insurance letters.
Then Margaret found a folder marked:
RIVERSIDE.
She opened it.
Several pages belonged to Alice.
One did not.
A photocopy of Margaret’s driver’s license.
Emma looked at her.
“Why would Aunt Alice have this?”
Margaret remembered.
Years earlier, Alice added Margaret as her medical power of attorney.
She needed identification documents.
Margaret gave her a photocopy.
That copy had apparently remained in Alice’s file.
Carol could easily have seen it while helping with paperwork.
Then Emma found another page.
Handwritten.
Not Alice’s handwriting.
A list of names.
Margaret Bennett.
Helen Price.
Susan Clark.
Rebecca Moss.
Beside each name was a date of birth.
And an insurance number.
Margaret stared at it.
“These are people Alice knew.”
Helen had attended church with her.
Susan lived in the same apartment building.
Rebecca had been part of Alice’s book club.
Emma looked toward her grandmother.
“Why would Carol have a list of their information?”
Margaret wasn’t certain Carol had written it.
But someone had.
And every person on the list was an older woman.
Denise asked Margaret to photograph the page.
The hospital checked its records.
Two names matched other accounts already flagged for unusual billing.
This was no longer just about Margaret.
