Brenda was stunned when she saw Harper, her late son’s wife, in the busy subway station. Harper acted like she didn’t know her, which was a shock. Things only got stranger when Brenda visited her son’s grave and discovered a headstone for Harper right next to it.
Feeling desperate and confused, Brenda decided to ask her son’s best friend, Jake, for help. But Jake’s suspicious behavior made her more determined to find out the truth on her own.
Christopher was only 27 when he tragically died in an accident, leaving his mother, Brenda, heartbroken. His sudden death pushed Brenda into a deep, dark place. Her grief was so overwhelming that her health took a turn for the worse, and she had to spend a year in a clinic trying to recover.
After all that time, Brenda traveled hundreds of miles to visit her son’s grave. She was carrying a burden of sadness that words could not describe. As she stepped off the metro in the city where Chris had lived and died, she suddenly spotted a familiar face in the crowd—Harper, her daughter-in-law. Brenda had planned to meet Harper after her visit to the cemetery, so she decided to surprise her.
“Harper! Harper, wait!” Brenda called out, tapping the young woman on the shoulder.
The woman turned and snapped, “I’m not Harper. You’ve got the wrong person, lady!” She shoved Brenda’s hand away and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Brenda was left standing there, bewildered. That was Harper, she thought to herself. She had the same eyes, the same hair, even the same voice. But before Brenda could follow her, Harper was gone. With her heart racing, Brenda got into a cab and headed to the cemetery, trying to make sense of what just happened.
When Brenda arrived at the cemetery, the silence felt heavy as she walked among the rows of graves, searching for Christopher’s resting place. Finally, she found it. Overwhelmed with emotion, she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face, her hands trembling as she touched his tombstone. But then, something caught her eye—the grave next to his.
To her horror, the headstone read:
In Loving Memory of Harper S.
January 8, 1995 – December 3, 2020
Forever cherished, forever missed. Rest in peace.
Brenda gasped. Harper had died just a week ago, and no one had told her. A terrifying thought gripped her mind: If Harper is dead, then who was the woman at the subway?
Brenda felt a chill run down her spine. She needed answers. She spotted the cemetery groundskeeper nearby, raking leaves. She hurried over to him and asked, “Excuse me, sir, could you tell me about Harper’s funeral?”
The man took a long drag from his cigarette and sighed. “Her funeral was last week. It was strange—no mourners, just the funeral workers. They brought the coffin, buried it, put up a simple headstone, and left. It wasn’t much of a funeral.”
Brenda’s concern grew. “Has anyone visited her grave since?” she asked.
“Not that I’ve seen,” he replied. “I’m here all day and live on the grounds. Haven’t seen a soul come by.”
None of this made sense. Brenda’s mind was spinning with questions. Desperate for answers, she decided to visit Jake, Christopher’s best friend and business partner. Maybe he could explain what was going on.
When Jake opened the door, he looked nervous. He let Brenda in, but she quickly noticed the suitcases piled up in the living room.
“I’m leaving the state, Mrs. Sutton,” Jake said, his face pale. “It’s been a tough year since Chris passed. The company went bankrupt, so I’ve decided to move far away from all this.”
Brenda’s eyes narrowed. “How could the company be bankrupt, Jake?” she asked, suspicion growing in her voice. “And why didn’t anyone tell me about Harper? I saw her headstone next to Chris’s grave. What happened to her?”
Jake hesitated, then said, “Mrs. Sutton, I didn’t want to burden you. After Chris died, you were in such a bad state. When I heard you were in a clinic for a year, I thought the news about the company and Harper would only make things worse.”
Brenda’s heart was pounding. “What happened with Harper, Jake? I need to know everything.”
Jake took a deep breath. “Harper inherited the company after Chris died, but she didn’t know how to run it. She didn’t want any part of it, so I took over. But things got worse after Chris died. We were close to bankruptcy, and Harper suggested taking out loans to save the business.”
Brenda felt something was off. “But you just said she didn’t want any involvement in the business?”
Jake sighed. “We were desperate. But a week ago, Harper withdrew a five-million-dollar loan and vanished. The police started looking for her.”
Brenda’s eyes widened. “Harper stole the loan money?”
Jake nodded. “But she didn’t get away. The police found her car crashed and burned near the woods. They recovered a body, burned so badly it couldn’t be recognized, but they found Harper’s gold pendant. They closed the case as an accidental death.”
Brenda’s head was spinning. “But the groundskeeper told me no one attended her funeral,” she pointed out, feeling more suspicious of Jake.
Jake’s nervousness and sudden decision to leave the city only made her more suspicious. Something was terribly wrong.
“Jake, when is your flight?” Brenda asked, thinking quickly.
“Early tomorrow morning…6 a.m.,” he replied.
“Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don’t feel safe staying in a hotel alone,” Brenda asked, hoping to buy some time.
Jake hesitated, but finally agreed and showed her to the guest room. Brenda waited until Jake’s lights went out, then quietly crept into the living room. Her hands shook as she searched through his suitcases, fearing what she might find.
Her worst fears were confirmed when she found two fake passports hidden in a secret compartment. One had Harper’s picture, but a different name—Sarah. The other had Jake’s picture, also with a different name.
“What are they planning?” Brenda wondered, her heart pounding.
She also found two plane tickets to London under their fake names. Brenda knew she had to act fast.
She carefully put everything back in place and slipped out to a nearby pharmacy, returning with sleeping pills. The next morning, she was up early, making breakfast when Jake came downstairs.
“Good morning, Jake! Have some breakfast before your flight,” Brenda said with a warm smile, handing him a glass of juice.
“Thanks, Mrs. Sutton,” Jake said, taking a sip. Within minutes, he was fast asleep on the couch.
Brenda waited, her heart pounding, for Harper to call or text Jake. Finally, a message popped up on his phone: “How could you oversleep? We’re flying to London today! I’m getting a taxi and coming to your house right now.”
“Perfect,” Brenda whispered, hiding behind the front door. When Harper arrived, Brenda hit her over the head with a vase, knocking her out. She quickly called the police, telling them everything she had discovered.
Jake and Harper were both arrested and taken in for questioning. Jake refused to speak, but Harper, desperate for a lighter sentence, confessed everything. She admitted they had staged her death by bribing a morgue worker for a body, which they placed in her car before setting it on fire.
Brenda felt both hurt and relieved. Though her son was gone, she had uncovered the truth and brought those who tried to dishonor his memory to justice.
