Part 3 — The Garage Apartment
Amelia opened her eyes and asked if she had missed work. I laughed and cried together, and the nurse let me sit with her until morning.
The investigators explained the cause plainly. The heater vent in the apartment had been altered so exhaust gas leaked into the living space, and the carbon monoxide detector that should have warned us had been removed from the hallway ceiling.
Frank had called it an upgrade. The receipt showed he bought the replacement parts before Amelia ever mailed her attorneys letter.
He had also named himself beneficiary on an insurance policy through a form he asked her to sign, which she had thought was a routine renters paper. The attorneys letter about the money he owed her was what made her a problem for him.
Amelia had been getting sick for weeks because of low level exposure, and the sleepiness, headaches and mornings of nausea all fit the doctors findings. It was never depression, and it was never her fault.
The note in her handbag, check what he changed, was the sentence that saved her, because it told every investigator exactly where to look.
The fire marshal and an independent inspector documented the alterations before anything was moved. Franks own purchase records and the beneficiary form formed a clean chain, which the prosecutor presented as attempted insurance fraud and reckless endangerment.
Frank was arrested. He pleaded guilty to felony endangerment and fraud attempts, and the court ordered him to repay Amelias loan, her medical bills and her moving costs.
The insurance company voided the policy, and the county placed his property under a code violation order. Every rental unit he owned was inspected, and two more families received free safety repairs.
Amelia recovered fully after treatment, and her doctor said her quick recognition by a parent was the reason. My daughter moved into my guest room until she found a better place.
I bought three carbon monoxide detectors that week, one for her new apartment and two for our house. I tested each one while she rolled her eyes and thanked me.
These days we still talk every evening, and her calls last as long as she wants. Sometimes she says only that she is warm, awake and happy, and it is the best sentence I hear all day.