SHUT THE FRONT DOOR – we need to talk

Friday, July 10 2015

My cousin from Texas stayed with Mary Grace while we attended the guardianship hearing. I did not know what to expect, so I was nervous. There were four family members present representing Mary Grace: Charlie, me, her first cousin, and her husband as well as Attorney Downs. It actually ended up being simple, quick, and painless, and guardianship was granted to me.

Prior to the hearing Brian Reed approached us outside and introduced himself, explaining he worked for “This American Life” radio program and podcast in New York and was doing a story on John Brooks. I believe the first thing I asked was whether he had John Brooks’ permission (little did I know…). He asked if I would be willing to give an interview after the hearing and I said, “Sure.” He then followed us in, and we just stood and exchanged small-talk. I was surprised to see Tyler there; I figured he wanted to talk to the judge about custody of Mary Grace. My cousin went in and talked to Judge Pow about the reporter and Tyler. Judge Pow told her that Brian was not allowed because it was a private hearing and that normally Tyler would not be allowed, but he thought Tyler needed to hear what he, the Judge, had to say. I don’t know, but it seemed that Tyler might already have spoken to the judge.

I remember asking Brian why in the world he would come all the way from New York to report on this situation. I had no idea he had been working with John Brooks for years prior. I also remember asking him about the gold. By the way, that was a joke. Like I mentioned before, I did not believe there was any gold. Well, maybe a little in the freezer, but none buried on the property.

What people who aren’t friends or family don’t know about me is I have a very dry sense of humor. People can’t really tell when I am joking or serious. I had a boss tell me once, “Reta, I have never known anyone like you. You can tell someone to go to Hell, and they would look forward to the trip.” I am blunt and to the point, but, of course, in a nice way.

So, we entered the judge’s office, and I know it is hard to believe, but Tyler and I sat on the same sofa. (LOL). I immediately spoke up and asked why Tyler was there. Was he there to try to get Mary Grace? The judge explained that Tyler was concerned about his items on the property. Judge Pow stated, “My advice to anyone is: If someone gives you something (say Aunt Betsy gave you a bedroom suite), you need to take it home with you. After I sign this paper, Reta will be in charge of Mary Grace and her estate. You may not go on the property without her permission.” Tyler said, “So she can sell my stuff before I get an attorney?” The judge stated, “I feel this lady is willing to work with you.” Then Tyler was dismissed. The judge went over what it meant to be a guardian and other legal procedures.

Afterwards, I realized I was running short on time, so I had to decline the interview with Brian. We had to get Mary Grace some lunch, pack her things, and get her settled in her new residence. And finally, I was getting to go home. After more than three weeks living in a hotel and eating most meals out. I felt like I needed a sign that read: “To Florida or Bust.” We left Saturday morning for home.

Ok. Let’s keep talking.
Reta

Mary Grace out of the hospital. Check.
John Brooks buried. Check.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Now it was time to concentrate on the property. At the time, we were not sure what all was in the house. We just knew someone was still coming on the property to look, take, and vandalize. A total of 10 dogs had been picked up at a cost of $60, so now we could start trying to control the fleas.

To refresh your memory, the grass was high; the yard and house were inundated with fleas; pots on the stove still had food in them from the night John Brooks died; there were rats in the basement; clothes in the washer were standing in water and the house was hot, disgustingly dirty, and reeked. You know it is bad when you would rather use the outside bathroom than the inside bathroom. Our team consisted of Charlie and me, my cousin from Texas and her husband, and Mary Grace’s first cousin and her husband.

Our focus at the time was to move items from the property into storage. The men started in John Brooks’ shop. I knew his toolboxes and tools were probably the most valuable and most likely to be stolen next. I knew who John had purchased the items from, and I later had him come to storage to give an appraisal. They also had to remove the carpet from the two bedrooms because of fleas. The ladies met Mary Grace at her doctor’s office for her appointment and to Attorney Down’s law office to settle her guardianship. (Since I was only Mary Grace’s 2nd cousin her first cousins had to sign over permanent guardianship.)

We retuned Mary Grace to her caregiver and then joined the men at the house to start packing. My cousin and I worked in the kitchen for hours cleaning up and cleaning out (mostly cleaning out). When we pulled the microwave out from the wall, a handful of 3×5 sheets of paper fell to the counter. Written on them were things like: “Turn the lights off,” “Water the plants,” “Feed the dogs.” One said, “Mail the taxes to with an address. Good thing I decided to save that one because it became very helpful in putting the puzzle together.

This turned out to be one of my better days because we were invited to a dear friend’s house for a home-cooked meal. The meal was so good that my cousin and I took Mary Grace back the next day for leftovers. It was here I learned about a lady who was a caregiver and took patients into her home.

I talked with the caregiver the very next day, and she told me she had decided to retire and had no one living with her at the time. I begged her to please consider taking Mary Grace on a two-week trial so I could continue handling matters that needed to be dealt with. She agreed and came to meet Mary Grace the next day. I cannot express what a blessing this was and still is. They immediately formed a bond and as a matter of fact, Mary Grace wanted to go home with her that day. She also had lost a son to suicide, so they had that in common.

In the meantime, a lady from Mary Grace’s church got in touch with me. She said she needed to talk to me about something she had that belonged to Mary Grace. My cousin and I went to her home that afternoon. Now, remember, we are in a very small town with friendly and caring people (for the most part), so when you went to someone’s home, you were invited in for a glass of “sweet tea” and long conversation. We got loads of information from her, her husband, and a friend of John Brooks.

First, she had a diamond ring that Mary Grace had given her years ago. She said Mary Grace asked her to hold on to it because John Brooks would sell it if he found it. Here is what else we learned:
• John Brooks purchased the trailer in 1999
• He purchased the yellow bus from a neighbor we ended up talking to
• He purchased the blue bus from someone in South Alabama
• The French clock everyone thought was so valuable was purchased from a salvage place for less than $100 (if my memory serves correctly) The clock had never been repaired.
• He purchased his F350 truck originally from Tyler

By the way, the ring was not real. I guess John Brooks had already found it. I took it to a jeweler who told me someone had messed with the prongs suggesting the real diamond had been exchanged for a fake one. I want to say how much I appreciate the lady telling me about the ring. I realize she did not have to.

Faye called to tell me she had been contacted by two guys who told her John Brooks’ had guns located in his computer stand and the gold was in the house. Right. Just like the diamond ring was real. Needless to say, no guns or gold were found. It seems that someone had already taken them. The gold was never a big concern for me, because at this point, I did not believe there was any gold.

OK. Let’s keep talking.

Reta

Thursday, July 2, 2015
Home Healthcare made its first visit to see Mary Grace in her new residence. Charlie returned to Alabama in time for our first sit-down meeting with Attorney Downs. Here is what we learned:

• Attorney Downs had worked with John Brooks on a will, but he never signed and returned it to him.
• Mary Grace had a will leaving everything to John Brooks and since John Brooks passed first, Mary Grace’s estate would go to the next of kin, which would be her first
cousins.
• Attorney Downs thinks their brokerage accounts had been liquidated in 2008, and it was “rumored” that John Brooks was putting money into gold and nickel.
• Attorney Downs said he would call Tyler and have him return any items he was not entitled to: keys, mail, laptop, cell phone, etc.
• Attorney Downs gave me a phone number for the county dog catcher; we knew the house could not be treated for fleas until all the dogs were gone. I had called a vet in
Centerville and several other places, with no luck.

The only advice Attorney Downs could offer about the trespassing was to secure the property. How do you secure 128 acres of property located off the main road back in the woods? Especially when some of the police officers are not taking you seriously? I had a lady tell me she saw someone on a motorcycle go under the police tape onto the property. She said she called 911 and was told that it was okay since it was Tyler, because he was a friend of John Brooks. REALLY?! Believe me, it gets worse.

Now, I have to say, there could have been others trespassing, especially because of all the rumors of the buried gold, but we only knew about Tyler and of course he confirmed it in the podcast interviews. We did know someone was going onto the property. They started playing games with us: leaving lights on, partaking in vandalism, even leaving a rubber snake coiled up by the front door. One time we got there and unlocked our padlock only to discover that the door would not open. Someone had gotten in the back door and put a padlock on the inside. REALLY? Didn’t I hear someone say, “Mama, we love you. We will take care of you (as long as you play by our rules)”? While all this was going on we also found out that the district attorney was not going to file a warrant on Cami for taking the mail. WOW! AGAIN, REALLY?

The rest of the week and weekend were pretty uneventful. But, beware, Monday was a different story.

Monday, July 6, 2015
We picked up Mary Grace, stopped by the post office, then headed to Attorney Down’s office for an update. Charlie and Mary Grace waited in the car and Attorney Downs called Tyler while I was there to ask about the items he had in his possession. Surprisingly it was just a minute before Tyler walked in. We said our good mornings, then he started complaining that no one cared about him or his feelings. I told him it had been hard on everyone, but my priorities had been to get John Brooks buried and to take care of Mary Grace. I told him I wanted him to get everything that was his, but that would probably be decided by a judge. Attorney Downs asked him what was in the mail that Cami picked up. He said toys for his kids. (I was informed he previously had told someone it was ink for his tattoo business.)

Tyler told us John Brooks did not have a cell phone, so the text he received the night of his death came from John Brooks’ computer. (The one that said he could have everything. The one sent right before John Brooks told Faye that Tyler’s things were on the porch/shop in a bag.) He said John Brooks had a cheap billfold but didn’t carry it very much. (I would take that to mean it was probably in his bedroom—NOT.) Tyler also said John Brooks cashed out all his stocks and he believed money was buried all over the land. Maybe in the maze.
Here are some pictures taken in 2011–this was the first time I saw the maze.


Oh, and did I mention that the church pew we were sitting on was now missing? I know the neighbor that gave it to Mary Grace, I hope he was the one that got it.

Tyler gave us a list of everything he claimed was his and wanted back. (The list far exceeded what John Brooks had told Faye) and personally, I think it was printed off John Brooks’ laptop. According to the podcast, John Brooks kept great records. Come on, if all that Tyler claimed really was his, John Brooks would not have been able to do any work on the property. I wondered how John built a maze with no wheelbarrow, ladders, picks, shovels, gloves, extension cords and toolboxes. Other things included on Tyler’s list were glass jars, a copper teapot. Really? Oh, yes, there was much, much more! By the way, there were some things Tyler had the opportunity to get but didn’t, like his kid’s clothes. I personally packed four large trash bags and left them on the porch. His kids would have looked so cute in them. They had been on the floor of John Brooks’ shop by a dryer.

OK, back to the story. Low and behold, Mary Grace and Charlie walked in to Attorney Down’s office. Knowing Mary Grace, she was probably wondering what was taking me so long or maybe she saw Tyler come in. Tyler said, “Hi, Mama, how are you doing?” She replied, “Fine.” Tyler said, “Mama, I was thinking about you. We made you some banana pudding.” Mary Grace stayed silent. Tyler then mentioned to me that he had some things of John Brooks’ that could help us if we would help him. We asked him what could he possibly have that would help us, then we got up and left. As we were leaving Tyler said, “Mama.” And that is when Mary Grace said, “Don’t call me ‘Mama.’ I ain’t your Mama.”

When we got in the car, Mary Grace asked if she needed to go home and protect her property? I told her we were taking care of it. She said, “Don’t guess he wanted me to have any of the banana pudding. He didn’t bring me any.”

I can’t remember if it was this time or another time we left Attorney Downs office but at one point: Officer Lightsey, Tyler’s friend, stopped us in the parking lot and showed us a bill of sale for John Brooks’ truck that was taken off Mary Grace’s property. It was dated April 17, 2015, for $500, had not been notarized and I believed it was bogus. I asked him why Tyler had not put the vehicle in his name, and he said he tried but that the paperwork was returned to the tag office for corrections. He said the paperwork had been corrected and Tyler should have a title in a few days, which I later proved was a lie.

Other stops that day included Mary Grace’s doctor to drop off paperwork I needed for the guardianship hearing and to the ADA office where I hoped to talk face to face with someone that might could give me some in slight to all this chaos. (both places were closed)

The best part of the week was when my cousin, sorry, double first cousin, and her husband came to our rescue all the way from Texas. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

OK, let’s keep talking.

Reta

On Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Charlie needed to check on Papa, cut the grass, and get the new caregiver set up so he left for home.

I was with Mary Grace until someone came to stay with her so I could run a few errands. I went to file a police report about the many missing items from the house and talked to Police Chief Price about John Brooks’ missing vehicles. He said he would check for me but of course did not know where they were.

I then learned from Chief Price the post office personnel had identified Cami as the person who picked up the mail the previous Friday. Chief Price said Officer Lightsey would work up a warrant on Wednesday for Cami’s arrest. Please understand the mail was an important piece of putting this puzzle together.

I was able to find out what insurance company John Brooks used and went there to get the vehicle identification numbers. I learned the insurance on the Mercedes had been cancelled months ago, and I cancelled insurance on the truck. Later that day, I was told by a friend that John Brooks vehicles had been spotted at Tyler’s grandmother’s house, so I actually drove by there to see for myself, and sure enough they were.

While all this is going on I also had one more thing on my plate: trying to get renters out of our Woodstock house, located down the road from where Mary Grace was staying, so I also paid them a visit. (Needless to say I was stressed and busy)

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

I stayed with Mary Grace, and we drove to Centreville to get copies of property deeds and maps. I was glad to find out that the property was still in her name. Of course, if it had not been, it still would belong to her since she was John Brooks only heir.

A representative from DHRS came to see Mary Grace later that day to inspect her current living conditions. He also needed to visit her home, so I took him and Mary Grace to the house “in the woods.” Mary Grace did not mention wanting to get out of the car and go in, and after being greeted by all the dogs, He also opted out. Satisfied he reported everything was good and he could tell we had Mary Grace’s best interest in mind.

When I told Mary Grace the house had fleas, she remarked, “I don’t doubt it with all the dogs.” Her healthcare providers told me Mary Grace would have fleas on her and once had a tick. They shared more stories that would break your heart. On one visit Mary Grace was found sitting on the porch eating pudding with her fingers. I assume John Brooks had the kitchen locked, as I recall it was locked when we got there. I guess she had the pudding in her bedroom and he most likely kept snacks in there for her. I believe the kitchen was probably locked so Mary Grace would not see the whiskey bottles and of course for her safety. They also reported in the winter her feet would be so cold they would not be able to wash them. So sad.

Mary Grace never mentions going back home, never asks about the house or the dogs, and never asks to go to the cemetery. I took her to the cemetery a few days after the burial, but she did not get out of the car. We ask her every so often, and she says, “There is nothing I can do there, no need to go.” After I was financially able to buy John’s headstone, I showed her pictures and she said “I really appreciate you getting that and I know John Brooks would too”.

What bothers Mary Grace the most is the fact that John Brooks committed suicide. She says, “I don’t understand why he didn’t want to live. I told him every day how much I loved him.” When she was in the hospital, she remarked, “If I knew John Brooks didn’t want to live, I would have hogtied him and got him help.” Once when I was with her, she told me the doctor told her there was nothing she could have done, once he had made up his mind. She will remark now and then, I would not bring John Brooks back because he would just do it again.

Wow, I can go all over the place with this story. John Brooks said to me years ago that as soon as something happened to his mom, he had a bullet with his name on it. I am attaching the email to that effect.

Email

I have always heard that the people who talk about suicide will not follow through. Well, that theory does not hold water.

At the end, I will share my thoughts on what I think happened the night of June 22, 2015.

Ok–Let’s keep talking!

Reta

 
Monday, June 29, 2015

The day started off by getting Mary Grace ready for the service scheduled for 11AM.

We took her to the funeral home to visit with John for the last time.  Present was: the couple she was staying with, Charlie, me and Faye Gamble, who was a friend of John’s and the City of Woodstock Town Clerk.

What a sad moment, Mary Grace sat by the coffin rubbing John’s chest and talking to him.  We then followed the Hearst to the grave-site.  Mary Grace was very alert, commenting on her outside surroundings.  When we pulled up at the cemetery I remember thinking how pleased I was that there was a good turnout.  There were family,  neighbors and friends.  Several were people I had spoken to on the phone but never met personally.  Tyler met Mary Grace at the car and gave her a 8X10 picture of John when he was a little boy. (I wish I had ask him where he got it.) When we were leaving I asked Mary Grace about the picture and she said it had been in her bedroom.   It was thoughtful of him to think about her. 

I recognized Tyler, Cami (Tyler’s girlfriend) and Jake (Tyler’s brother) but no one else in Tyler’s circle.  I can’t remember at what point I learned that Tyler’s mom was Mia Hicks.  I coached Mia in softball when she was younger. Well, we both were younger. LOL  I would have certainly spoke to her if I had known who she was.  She was a good kid and talented ball player.

Mary Grace had ask for Reverend Ben Corley to officiate the service. Even though he was the Pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock for many years, he was more like the community Pastor, loved and admired by everyone.  As always he did a great job.  Mary Grace has mentioned more than once she was so pleased. She stated “Bro Corley can speak in a manner that makes you forget about your grief”. (More about the service when I review the podcast)

With the conclusion, came the time for long overdue visits. Everyone was coming up to Mary Grace giving their condolences. I had two different people tell me that they would be happy to put up a gate at the entrance of the property. I told them that I appreciated it but really did not see the need.  After Tyler’s visit to the property on Wednesday night, I thought the trespassing situation was over.  I really had no hard feeling with Tyler.  I didn’t trust him, but I figured since he had been warned by the police we could sit down and work everything out.  At this point I had not sat down and talked to Attorney Downs. There were still so many unanswered questions.  I had a guardianship hearing on July 10th.

I realized that Mary Grace had been out in the heat too long–it was time to leave.  Tyler was speaking with her when I walked up–he said “Sorry Mama, they won’t let me talk to you”.  My reply was “Tyler I don’t know who you have been talking to but, you have the wrong impression of me”.

Just as we got Mary Grace settled in the car, Tyler walked up and showed her a child’s book. He told her that John had given the book to him to read to his kids and ask if he could keep it.  Mary Grace replied: “If John gave it to you then he must have wanted you to have it.”  ( Now I think he was just asking her permission to throw us off)  He took everything else he wanted without permission.

A family member then walked up to me and told me I needed to tell the director to ask everyone (sitting around the coffin) to leave so they could lower the coffin and fill the grave.   I did, and as we were walking back to the car I remembered THE NIPPLE RINGS. I walked back and ask the director about the rings and he stated something about the hooks and the rings could not be removed.   SO MY FRIENDS–THAT WAS THAT

Mary Grace and the family she was staying with were members of the same church and the ladies of that church had prepared a delicious meal for us. (You just can’t say enough about Southern Hospitality) After lunch Charlie went back to Mary Grace’s house and noticed more items missing.

Facts that we know so far:

There was only $ 98.69 in the checking account shared by Mary Grace and John Brooks.

I knew at one time that Mary Grace had money in the stock market.  Uncle Brooks was the one that dealt in stocks and left Mary Grace well provided for at the time of his death.  (I did not know who their broker was or their accountant.)

I knew that John also dealt in the stock market, he discussed it with me and Charlie every time we talked because he knew we also had money in the stock market.

John did not have a will 

I was told there was no money found for the dogs and no gold found in the freezer.     REALLY??????

I just have to mention this now:  I was surprised that John Brooks gave Faye instructions for the care of the dogs but did not mention care for his mother.

I did not know at this time, (It seemed that everyone else but me knew) there might be gold hidden on the property.

I still had not heard of Brian Reed or even knew he was at the service.

I did not know about the podcast.

I still did not know how Tyler fit into this picture   (only that Tyler worked for John Brooks.)

Did not know what had happened to the vehicles.

 

OK,  Let’s keep talking

Reta

First thing we had to do on Friday 6/26 was purchase Mary Grace some clothes and buy socks, underwear, etc for John Brooks.
(Since I have had a lot of experience dealing with funeral homes) I can’t help but invision passing by one day and there be a YARD SALE sign outside. You know selling the items that never make it in the coffin. Socks, underwear, shoes, pants, jewelry, etc. Nothing personal to anyone employed by the funeral home (I have no proof of this), I just feel that they catch you in a very gullible state of mind. They wanted $75.00 for a guest book when John Brooks died. I went to Wal-mart and purchased one for less than $5.00. I remember when my Sister passed and there was a $150.00 charge for the flower truck, she had requested no flowers so was able to get them to remove that charge. I worked for a Automobile Dealership Group for 22 years so I know a thing or two about sales.

OK, back to story:

We left the funeral home and headed to Greenpond to check the mail. This is the first time I had even thought about the mail. I was hoping there would be something in the mail to help solve this puzzle. Anyway, I went in the post office with a copy of temporary guardianship and requested the mail. I explained that I was John Brooks’s cousin from Florida. The postmaster looked confused and told me that someone had already picked up John Brooks mail and claimed to be the cousin from Florida. I then filled out the necessary paperwork so this could not happen again -from then on I was the only one that could get the mail. Since I did not have the box key, I had to change the lock at a cost $31.98. I went straight to the Town Hall to try to fill out a police report but, no one was there so I picked up the original guardian paperwork.

We had to get to the hospital to meet the DHRS . After his interview with me, Social Workers and Mary Grace he approved her release. As you might know that does not mean you get up right then and go home. We waited on Doctors last visit, writing of new prescriptions, instructions for home care and of course final discharge paperwork.

We got back to Woodstock in time to pick up medication for Mary Grace and take her to dinner. We got her room set up and I helped get her ready for bed. She wore her new pajamas-for the first and last time. After that night Mary Grace insisted sleeping in her clothes. No matter what we did she will not take off her clothes for bed. I even purchased her a camisole to wear as a undershirt–she would not let me take off her blouse. Her caregiver and I have discussed this at length–maybe she does not want to take time to dress in the morning, maybe she has not worn pajamas in so long?? We just don’t know. Another thing, she will not sit on a stool in the shower or tub. (she is given a sponge bath) Makes us wonder if something happened to make her afraid of the water. Guess we will never know.

Saturday and Sunday was spent getting Mary Grace ready for the service on Monday. She was taken for her first pedicure. (see pictures below) The purpose was not like most of us: to have our feet pampered and toes polished but to get her feet clean and nails cut. She was so cute–the guy taking care of her did not speak English well, so he would not answer her questions. She would tap him with her walking cane to get his attention. She told him “my nails are so long I could scratch the fleas off a chicken”. He also gave her a manicure but she would not let him polish her nails. Our friend’s daughter in law cut and styled her hair.

We had stopped by Lowe’s to purchase more locks for the house–so we went to Mary Grace’s house and replaced more of Tyler’s locks with ours. ( A lot of good that did)

We went to police station and filed a report about someone picking up the mail without authority. Seems the police had already gotten word. Officier Jerry Lightsey had a lineup printed out, and I identified Cami (Tyler’s girlfriend). Picking up someone’s mail may not sound like a big deal but, I consider it stealing and at that point I was looking for answers that might come in the mail.

On Sunday we met our friend for lunch and made the arrangements for her to go to Fl. and take care of Mr. Lawrence. We then went and purchased clothes for Mary Grace to wear Monday. Next Charlie and I visited a couple of places we could place Mary Grace for a few weeks until we could get all this mess settled. At this point, I was not going to let her go back home, even if I found someone to live with her. The living conditions were too bad and I still had to look into her financial situation. I could leave her where she was staying for now but, that was not fair to them, they both worked and I did not feel I could put that responsibility on them, especially long term.

When we got to Mary Grace’s, I bathed her and she tried on her new clothes.

OK-Let’s keep talking

Reta

Here are the first pictures of inside the house: Thursday 6-25-2015

 

 

Thursday 6-25-15
The Town Clerk called me early in the morning to let me know Attorney Downs had come in and submitted the petition for guardianship. She told me I should get to her office ASAP so I could sign it for Judge Jerry Pow’s approval, which I did.
On my way to the hospital for the meeting with the social worker, I received a call saying the petition had been granted, signed and faxed to the Social worker. Meanwhile, I called the hospital and talked to a nurse about making sure a guard was aware that I did not want Tyler coming to Mary Grace’s room making a scene and getting Mary Grace upset.
Two social workers, attended the meeting and told me that Department of Human Relations Services (DHRS) had been notified because of Tyler’s involvement. Authorities later informed me that Tyler had been to DHRS offices in Centreville to try to gain custody of Mary Grace. DHRS would have to interview hospital social workers, me, and Mary Grace before she could go home with me. DHRS was scheduled to come to the hospital on Friday, June 26.

One thing Tyler did not realize was that John could not just “give” him custody of Mary Grace. If I had not been there, or no other family member had stepped up (which they would have), Mary Grace would have been a ward of the state. Tyler said in the podcast that I just left Mary Grace at the hospital and that she was just waiting for someone to get her out. Well, because of him, I could not get her out. I had to wait for DHRS to release her. Of course she wanted to leave, but she was enjoying walking the walls or sitting at the nurses’ station with them and coloring. I have attached some of her coloring book sheets.


I realize now, that since she has left the her house, Mary Grace does not like to be by herself. Even now she wants someone in the room with her. And when I reflect on her time in the hospital, I think about how good she ate. It was one of the things the nurses mentioned to me: that she ate everything they put in front of her. I believe there were times at home she went hungry.

OK, back to the story. It is so hard not to get side-tracked.

After our meeting, I asked the social workers and the hospital chaplain to go with me and Charlie to Mary Grace’s room to explain what was going on. From the beginning, I made a point of having a witness for everything I did.

I explained to Mary Grace about police catching Tyler on the property and trying to load up stuff. She was very upset and stated that “Tyler had no business on her property. He was John’s friend, and now John was gone”. I explained that I was here to help her in any way that I could. I asked her if she trusts me, and we talked about being family and how family took care of each other.

I told her she would not be able to go home but that she was going to a friend’s house. She knew the friend and her family, so she was happy about spending time with her. Then we talked about plans to bury John Brooks.

Mary Grace wanted the funeral to be held at the funeral home and asked for Brother Corley to handle the service. I explained that it would be easier on her if we had just a graveside service, and she agreed. I explained that I hoped having a graveside service would enable us to bury him sooner. She was fine with me going to the funeral home and taking care of the arrangements.

I left the hospital and went to the funeral home. They asked me to try to find John Brook’s burial policies, bring clothes for John Brooks, write an obituary, choose the color of the coffin, and tell them how many death certificates were needed. It was at this time that the funeral home director asked if I knew about John Brook’s nipple rings and all his tattoos, which I replied “Really?”, I did not know that. I asked if I could view the body, and they declined because it was not prepared for burial. I told the director that I wanted the nipple rings. The podcast stated that I had bad dealings with funeral homes in the past. That is not entirely true. It is just that I have a lot of experience with funeral homes; I have lost way too many loved ones. In all my dealings, we never had loved ones buried with any type of jewelry, including eyeglasses. The lesson I learned here: Think about the way you word things when you are being recorded (more on “nipplegate” later).

We left the funeral home and went up the street to order flowers for the coffin. I think Tyler would have been caught off guard with all the expense for a funeral. I guess he thought Mary Grace had the money to cover it. The coffin and major expenses had been prepaid which was a blessing. After the podcast, I realized Tyler thought John and Mary Grace were worth millions. And that is what John Brooks wanted people to believe.

We stopped by Lowe’s to buy bolt cutters to remove the padlock Tyler had put on the house. Later we replaced it with a new lock. We then met with the person who would dig the grave and the person in charge of overseeing the site at the Greenpond cemetery where John Brooks would be buried. I am telling you these details so you will know I had other things on my mind besides looking for “treasure” or taking valuables from the house.

We went to the Woodstock Police Department and asked Officer Jerry Lightsey, the on-call deputy, to follow us to Mary Grace’s so we could look for policies and get John Brook’s clothes. I wanted someone to witness the condition of the house when we went in for the first time. ( At this point I was not aware that Tyler and Lightsey were friends.)

When we got inside and started looking around, Lightsey showed us the freezer in the basement and said, “This is where the gold should have been, but it was not there.” I did not even know the house had a basement until John called one day and said he had been cleaning it out and organizing it. He had a lot of school books that had belonged to family members. We took pictures of the basement with our cell phones. SEE ATTACHED:

I got John Brooks a shirt and a pair of jeans. The glasses I saw earlier were now missing. There was a padlock on Mary Grace’s closet, which we cut off and later replaced. We looked for the burial policies but could not find them. We could not find a purse for Mary Grace or a billfold for John Brooks. Mary Grace did not have any clothes or shoes decent enough to wear. We also did not find any medicine. You could not stay in the house for any length of time because of the flea infestation. John Brooks owned 13 dogs at this time. Charlie and Officer Lightsey then went behind the house to look in the 18-wheeler trailer, where they saw tire marks in the grass, and put a lock on the trailer. See pictures

Charlie and I were living this crisis 24 hours a day. If we were not planning, we were on the phone with attorneys, police, the funeral home, friends, or family. There was no escaping it.

Having temporary custody of Mary Grace put a whole new light on the matter. I had the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I took the responsibility seriously. I had to find her a place to live, bury John, and get the dogs placed. They had no money, and I knew nothing about their income or their bills. I also knew nothing about how Tyler played a part in all of this.
I had to get this puzzle put together FAST. I did know one thing: Mary Grace was NOT going back to that filthy house. If need be, I would take her home with me, so be it. Papa would have to pick a room. We’d have one more person moving in, and believe me, she would keep us entertained.

Ok–Let’s keep talking

Reta

We meet Chief Price leaving the property but when he saw us he turned around and came back, as any officer would. We found that a pad lock had been put on the front door. Chief Price said it might have been placed there by Tyler Goodson and gave Charlie his phone number, which made me wonder who was Tyler and why Chief Price had easy access to his phone number. Tyler said he was on this way to see Mary Grace but, he would turn around and come back. He was back within 5- 10 minutes. He walked up to the porch where we were and said he had just talked with Mama and she did not want anyone in the house until she came home. I said I understand and told him why I was there, to pick up a change of clothes, purse, personal items and medical information. Tyler did not offer any explanation as to who he was or why he was taking charge. I don’t remember a introduction but it would seem likely. Then the confrontation started. There was no screaming, no getting in anyone’s face as portrayed in the podcast. He said he was going to get “Mama” from the hospital and bring her home. I ask who is MAMA??? And he replied Mary Grace. I told him no you are not bringing her home, but he said yes he was. So I asked him, would you bring your own Mother to live in these conditions and he said yes. I stated you are not bringing her back here to live in this mess. He was quick to change the subject as to why we had not been to see Mary Grace, and he was very defensive.
He said Mary Grace was wondering why we had not been to the hospital first to see her–Charlie told him it was not any of his F—— business. He stated that he could not believe that we went right by the hospital and did not stop to see her. I said , it is none of your business but, the route we traveled did not take us though Birmingham where Mary Grace was in the hospital.

He left for the hospital and so did we, without getting into the house or any of Mary Grace’s belongings. We asked Chief Price what he thought we should do and he suggested that we talk to Attorney Boozer Downs. Chief Price stated that police department did not get involved in Domestic disputes. Really, I thought that would be under the title of Trespassing . WHATEVER !?!?!!

When we arrived at the hospital Tyler and his girlfriend Cami were already there. Tyler was sitting in a chair next to Mary Grace, who was also in a chair. I took a seat next to Cami on Mary Grace’s bed. Tyler seemed to be protective of Mary Grace, and he was so close to her you would not be able to get a eyelash between them.

I told Mary Grace that I was so sorry about John Brooks and she said, you have never had kids, how do you know how I feel?? I replied, no I have not had kids but I knew how it hurts to lose a loved one. She was very cold and distant towards me which was unlike her. I asked if she knew who I was and she answered: yes Reta.

I said I was going to the bathroom but went to the nurses’ station to get some answers. They explained to me Tyler had already told Mary Grace I was coming to get her and take her to Florida, which may have been why she was so cold and distant to me. Tyler had told the nurses he was Mary Grace’s adopted son and he was given the code to call in and check on her condition.

Back in the room, we just talked about things in general and Mary Grace was telling us old family stories, this lasted a few hours. Tyler mentioned that he took Mary Grace a biscuit for breakfast every morning, they would sit on the porch and talk. He mentioned his and John’s fishing trip and he even bought John’s lunch. He let me know he had been with John recently to get new eye glasses. I remember seeing them in John’s bedroom a few days later.
Tyler was talking about a little black & white dog named “PIPSQUEAK”, he and Mary Grace argued
over–each claiming ownership, which later turned up missing.

All Tyler could say was “Mama we will be all right”, “Mama we will buy you some new shoes”, “Mama the girls will pick you fresh flowers every day”. I asked Mary Grace if she wanted Tyler to move in with her and take care of her and she said “yes”. I asked Tyler, where is everyone going to sleep and what about your kids? I reminded Mary Grace that Tyler had 3 kids and she said “I don’t want any kids there”. I asked Tyler if he knew what he was asking for, taking care of a elderly person 24/7—he said “not a problem”. Before the conversation got this far, Mary Grace had not mentioned who Tyler was, what Tyler had done for the family, etc. NOTHING. I believe Mary Grace felt that she had no choice at this point, and in all the drama I should have realized that she was not capable of making these decisions.

Charlie and I walked out of the room, I told Charlie well, if Mary Grace wants Tyler to live with her and he wants to take care of her I am not going to fight this. We will stay for the funeral and then go home
NOTE: Mary Grace was wearing the same clothes she had on when she got there Monday night and this was Wednesday. Her clothes were dirty and her shoes were so bad I had to throw them away. When I got to the hospital Thursday she was dressed in a pair of the nurses scrubs and her new shoes, which is what she wore home Friday.

The Social Worker came in before we left and she asked Tyler a lot of questions he could not answer. The name of Mary Grace’s doctor, name of her home health care, and if she was on any medication (he said just vitamins, which in fact she was on multiple prescriptions). Tyler said he had been taking care of Mary Grace for the last two years. After investigating Mary Grace’s case the Social worker left the room.
When I left I gave Tyler my phone number in case he needed anything, and I wished him good luck. Cami told me not to worry they would take good care of Mary Grace. Tyler said his grandmother was going with them to make the funeral arrangements. At this point I was not considering the total seriousness of Mary Grace’s mental state, sure she wanted to go home, which is only natural for an elderly person.

When we reached the hotel everyone called me at one time. That afternoon Cami called me and said they would not release Mary Grace to Tyler, and I needed to sign a form. I told her I could come back now and do that. On the other phone the Social worker called to let me know they would not release Mary Grace to Tyler and asked if I could come to the hospital on Thursday at 11AM for a meeting. I said sure, I will be there. Attorney Downs was returning my call, and others from the community were trying to get in touch with me. We had the hotel phone and both cell phones going at one time. What a mess!!!

During this time the Police Department called to say Tyler and Jake (Tyler’s brother) had two trucks and two trailers going to Mary Grace’s house to load up stuff. By the time we got there the Police had intervened and Tyler was already gone but, we got to meet Jake. He seemed like a nice guy, until he said, “I thought of John as my Father”, I told him, Really??? I said I don’t want to hear that. I thought to myself, it appears that you are stealing from your father before his body was in the ground. (At least that is how it felt to me) I was wondering why they needed two trucks and trailers to get a sack of tools that John said belonged to Tyler. It was then I realized that someone needed to make a stand for Mary Grace’s sake. She was not in a state of mind to take care of herself, and it feel like Tyler was only thinking of himself and not what was best for Mary Grace.

It is then when I asked the police officer what do I need to do to protect Mary Grace’s assets, he suggested I look into to getting temporary guardianship over Mary Grace. I called Faye Gamble (the Town Clerk) to ask her if she could reach Judge Pow to help get a temporary guardianship over Mary Grace.

Ok, Let’s keep talking
Reta