I Could Do Without Mark

Mark and Donna have a second driveway carved through Poplar Hill's woods without permits or Brooke's signature. The municipality halts the work; Mark blames everyone but himself. Letters fly between lawyers, as Mark predicts that 'the laws of karma are far more powerful than those made by man.' One March morning in 2025, Brooke receives a phone call that changes everything. Mark Marshall is dead. The story isn't over, but it has shifted.

Beware Mysterious Mark is a Radio Sidney production. This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Program.

Show notes, episode transcripts and resources: mark.radiosidney.ca

Contact: info@radiosidney.ca

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Welcome to Beware Mysterious Mark, a ten-part series about financial elder abuse. Our goal is to expose how these schemes work, reveal the warning signs, and help you stop it before it happens to someone you love. In our last episode, Bert was declared capable under questionable circumstances. Despite this, Bert's bank kept his accounts frozen for months, refusing to accept Mark as new power of attorney. And Brooke waited to hear from the public guardian and trustee. Now here's episode 10, the finale, titled I Could Do Without Mark.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

In April, the rep called to say the public guardian and trustee had accepted the veracity of Brooke's third-party evidence of financial manipulation, and that Bert had already accepted an appointment for a new capacity assessment by Dr. Koupar. Then in early May, we discovered that Bert had refused to see Dr. Koupar. Instead, he was to be assessed by another GP, and we were not entitled to know the GP's name. We were very worried. We knew the PGT allows the senior to pick their assessor, but puzzled over how Bert's team found one during COVID within two weeks. In late May, our PGT rep informed us that Bert had been determined capable of managing his finances and his file would be closed. Stupefied, we requested a review, but received a boilerplate, no response. During the review, we learned that the PGT had put a lot of weight on the fact that Bert had found his own lawyer. Did they honestly believe that the 97-year-old had searched out, visited, and worked with a lawyer all by himself? The thought was ludicrous and profoundly disappointing. Remember, it took a motivated mark, many phone calls, and at least four in-person attempts with other legal professionals before he roped in Bert's current dubious lawyer. About a year later, Brooke discovered the assessing GP's name by accident. Within minutes, Google informed her that this GP had been suspended twice for improper conduct and was ranked in the bottom five percentile of all doctors in our province. We believe had we known the name of this GP up front, we would have demanded and received a different assessor, and possibly a different result. Huge implications. Also, we discovered that Birds Bank had requested a review of the PGT's results, but it was refused. And thus ends our mind-numbing experiences in Black Hole Number Two. Close Encounters with the PGT. Brooke decided it was time to be direct and reached out to Donna Hatcher to meet and see if they could improve and clarify communications. I was againn it, believing this would be akin to a dazed kitten expecting reassurance from a rabid fox. But Brooke bravely met with Donna, turned on her recording app, and invited Donna to do the same. Donna arrogantly refused. Surprise, surprise. My beloved was taken to the cleaners by the aggressive truth compromised femme fatale of Poplar Hill. Donna instantly attacked Brooke, while briskly whitewashing her own reputation. Brooke tried hard, but her attempts to provide truths were either slapped away like inconvenient flies or twisted negatively back upon her. By the end of June, everyone was suffering under an unprecedented heat dome. On my regular reconnaissance checks of Poplar Hill, I noticed Bert's previously clean and nearly empty double garage was now bursting at the rafters, shelf upon shelf lined with boxes, bins, bags, and other paraphernalia. We wondered. A few days later, Brooke received a call from her dad's neighbor Anne, who had noticed Mark and Donna were now openly living in the recreational vehicle. Their story? They were temporarily camping out while their landlord renovated their bathroom. Three weeks later, same story told to another neighbor. So why are these people camped on his doorstep? On July 31st, Anne phoned again.

SPEAKER_05 5:31

A large moving van is now parked in Bert's driveway, and folks are unloading furniture. Tons of stuff. Do you know about this?

SPEAKER_09 5:41

I know nothing about it.

SPEAKER_07 5:43

I just asked that woman if Brooke knows they're moving in, and she said yes, Brooke knows all about it.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Bill, that never happened. Remember, Bert had consistently maintained his position not to have Donna and Mark live with him. In fact, he expected them to camp out in the RV, only if and when he needed help, not before. So I can now report that Mark and Donna's ultimate goal to be given a home base is finally achieved via a sneaky double play. First, they bunted quietly onto the Poplar Hill property by temporarily living in the RV. And second, they blatantly stole the remaining bases to land right on home plate. AKA, the front foyer of the house. Tada! Home run, big win, mission accomplished, high fives all around, settling in for the future. By contrast, our dugout was eerily quiet, and our team had no plans, not even for the following day. In late September, a cousin named Joan visited Bert, as she had done yearly since his wife's death. Fearing the worst, we armed her with our portable recording device. Thank heavens, because over two dreadful hours, ninety-seven-year-old Bert, Mark, and Donna took turns verbally lashing out at her, hurling lies and criticisms about Brooke, her mum, me, the bank, and the health authority. In the garage. Joan was not even allowed in the house. We have every shameful word they spat out. Majority not suitable for mass consumption, but I think you should hear a few lies.

SPEAKER_10 7:50

Mark told me you rang him up and told him all sorts of nasty things. You know it's it's not fair, not fair at all. Oh, that's not true.

SPEAKER_04 7:59

I didn't say nasty things.

SPEAKER_10 8:01

Well, you said they were looking after me for my money. I didn't say that. I'm sorry, Joan. Well I have to believe Mark. He's my family now.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

As soon as Brooke tried to get Bert's POA to control everything, that's when the shit hit the fan.

SPEAKER_10 8:20

I've got to be with Mark. On my lonesome, my ability to carry words are restricted. I have a vocabulary that's getting narrower and narrower. I don't mind it. I don't talk to many people. So Mark is my voice in many respects. He's not doing it for money.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

Our house was melting. The floor was rotting. Our landlord took out our ensuite and he told us we're gonna have to get you out of here pretty quick, because the floor under your tub is rotting. So we knew we were going to have to find a place, which there was nowhere, and Albert said, You know what? This was gonna happen anyhow. Let's get you in now. He wanted us here.

SPEAKER_04 9:10

Could I have one last opportunity? Because I'm here to speak with Richard.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Well, I'm here to speak for Richard as well.

SPEAKER_04 9:18

But no, I hear he needs you for some things, but I think he and I can have a nice conversation.

SPEAKER_10 9:23

No, no, you can't. You are biased. You can't have a conversation with me because you're not totally on my side.

SPEAKER_03 9:33

Brooke got the lawyer involved, then Bert had to get a lawyer. You know what Nancy said to us? We're going to make sure you can't get a lawyer, because we're going to tell everybody the kind of people you are. Then Albert said, You know what? If Nancy was gone, Brooke probably would be a better person. And I agree with him because Nancy is the instigator.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

A couple of follow-ups. Joan was so distraught, she stumbled over to the next door neighbors Anne and Phil, and thank heavens received their moral support before returning to our house. And we later confirmed with Mark and Donna's landlord that all this you have to get out pretty quick threat was malarky. Their apartment had a second serviceable bathroom. Repairs were underway, and legally the landlord couldn't evict tenants to undertake repairs. But given Bert's reluctance to have them move onto his property, we realized Donna and Mark seized this excuse to convince the old man they were homeless and that living with him in Poplar Hill was inevitable. Once Mark and Donna moved in, they seemed to almost forget Bert as they tucked into retirement life. As an example, before the move, the couple always came around to assist Bert in walking to his rural mailbox. An activity Donna never stopped crowing about to anyone in earshot. After the move in, Bert toddled the 600 yards on his own. And about a year later, Donna Hatcher worked her last shift and retired, at least five years before her modest pension would have kicked in, without Bert's generosity. What we've described so far has felt like a lifetime. But really, we were only two years and seven months into the couple's never-ending campaign, which started in earnest following Diane Cooper's death. Somehow, Brooke and her dad formed a temporary peace, and cautiously Brooke began visiting him once again. Mindful of Donna and Mark's negative influence, she took her dad away from Poplar Hill for leisurely drives and lunches. Brooke kept the conversation light, avoiding anything controversial. For the first time in years, the father and daughter were happy again with one another's company, even if only on a superficial level. In the spring and summer of 2023, Mark and Donna set a new low for attentive caregiving, leaving Bert for about six hours, six days a week. Mark wanted to fix up his wreck of a boat in advance of selling before it sank. Remember before the move in? Mark called Bert every single day at ten AM and seldom missed a daily visit. Now the creeps told Bert, We won't call you, and don't you call us except in an emergency. This for six or more hours a day for months.

unknown 13:18

Dr.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Kupara zeroed in on another caregiver oversight when ninety-nine year old Bert, accompanied by Brooke, came to follow up on an x-ray.

SPEAKER_06 13:29

Nice to see the two of you together.

SPEAKER_10 13:32

We're not enemies.

SPEAKER_06 13:34

How are you feeling, Mr. Cooper?

SPEAKER_10 13:36

Fine.

SPEAKER_06 13:38

Well, the x-ray I ordered reveal you have a broken rib. Now I'm concerned that you had a bad fall, and you have a broken rib, and that we only discovered it incidentally when you came in for your prescription refill. I'm concerned about that.

SPEAKER_10 13:57

I don't think I've broken. I didn't fall. I crumpled.

SPEAKER_06 14:02

Were you alone?

SPEAKER_10 14:04

Yeah, I I pushed myself up. It wasn't broken.

SPEAKER_06 14:09

You have a broken rib, Mr. Cooper. Number seven.

SPEAKER_10 14:13

Have I really? Good lord.

SPEAKER_06 14:16

When a senior has a bad fall, they should be taken to emergency.

SPEAKER_10 14:21

Oh.

SPEAKER_06 14:22

That would be the right thing to do, but that didn't happen.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

The vanishing of her dad's caregivers enhanced Brooke's fragile relationship with Bert as they continued to see one another. Brooke was extremely grateful for this precious private time with her dad, and I admit the pair seemed to have some fun. During this ceasefire, which lasted two years, Brooke gained many worrying glimpses into her dad's new life with his caregivers. Bert was still reluctant to challenge Mark, or Donna, over even the smallest of things. As an example, Bert made a point of telling Brooke he wouldn't ask Donna to cut his toenails until they hurt. There was an obvious imbalance of power with Mark at the top and Bert at the bottom. This concern was supported by psychiatrist Dr. Becker, who told Brooke that there was a ton of coercion in the relationship between her dad and the creeps. Bert's strong belief that Donna has had a tough life remained central in his mind. Bert told Brooke some erroneous details about one of Donna's former partners. Bert believed this man took all of Donna's savings, and at that time, Mark, surprise, surprise, financially bailed her out, which landed Donna in a position of obligation. Contrast this with Donna's own statement to Brooke a couple of years earlier, that in fact this partner number two was her knight in shining armor. Also, Bert continued to believe the tale about noble Donna walking away from a $2 million legal settlement. He often repeated his concern that she could never make that money up. So it became alarmingly clear to Brooke that her dad had believed for some years that he was now responsible for financially supporting poor had a hard life, Donna. As a curious aside, Bert easily overlooked the fact that Mark hadn't worked for over 23 years and was quite happy to let Donna subsidize him. Please, please tell me why Bert Cooper admires this useless man. Over the years, Bert's made a lot of strange and worrying comments to Brooke, but we've decided to reveal just a few provided during the two year ceasefire. Some of those illustrate that, despite living in his own home with his supposedly loving best friends, at times Bert appears fearful and uncomfortable. We're both so saddened by the truths hiding in some of Bert's statements, like Mark's in control of everything.

SPEAKER_10 17:39

It's a bit heavy handed, but you know, he's got all he ever wants. I could do without Mark. Don't ever tell him because he thinks that I love him dearly, but there is something about him that I don't like. His indifference to people. You know, I don't like that. Mark doesn't give a thought about me. I can't say I really like Mark. But he's awfully good to me in some respects. Donna's a real dear. She's nice to me, but she has a flaring temper. Just goes crazy for three or four minutes. I don't go into the room Mark's using as a studio because I'm afraid there may be a camera.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

During the last twenty-four months, Poplar Hill has undergone numerous renovations, all to benefit Mark and Donna. First up, new top-of-the-line kitchen and laundry appliances soon grace the now cluttered home. About a year later, a number of established trees took the ultimate hit to allow for a new metal roof and forty solar panels. I ask you, given an estimated twenty or so year payback, how much is old Bert going to benefit from this over $100,000 expense? And by the way, when Brooke discovered all this after the fact, of course, she offered to pay her share as usual, but Bert declined. A nice gesture from him, I think. When Mark and Bert applied to the municipality for a permit to take five trees down, Mark strongly inferred that he was Bert's son, and that Brooke was his difficult and estranged sister who wanted nothing to do with her dad or Poplar Hill. Come on, who lies like that? In May of 2024, all hell broke loose at Poplar Hill. In a classic underhanded move, Mark and Donna had a second driveway bulldozed across the Cooper's property without any permits and without Brooke's knowledge or involvement. After seeing a 200-foot gash being ripped through Poplar Hill's woody side yard, a neighbor complained to the municipality. The municipality reps immediately placed a stop work order and informed Brooke. Mark and Donna scrambled to protect themselves. First, they blamed the contractor for not getting the permits. Then they criticized the municipality for fudging its rules. And finally, they condemned Brooke for not signing the permits. Of course, Bert couldn't accept that his friends were in the wrong, so with a little nudge, he believed Brook was the culprit. Incredibly, the entire mess lasted months, with Mark endlessly submitting ridiculous legal arguments and was still an ongoing issue with the municipality in early 2025. The creeps wrote letters to our lawyer, to the municipality, and eventually to Brooke herself, trying to salvage the driveway disaster by boasting about their caregiving attributes and slandering Brook's personality, actions, and reputation. In a missive to Simon, Mark calls Brooke an apparently delusional client and states.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

To put it bluntly, she is lying to you and the municipality.

SPEAKER_00 21:55

This email addressed to Simon ends with a prophetic bang to

SPEAKER_02 22:01

Food for thought, Brook. The laws of karma are far more powerful than those made by a man. There's something highly satisfying when karma strikes.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

More about that prophetic bang later. In another letter, Donna writes directly to Brooke, supposedly on Bert's behalf.

SPEAKER_10 22:26

I feel deceived by you and your mom from keeping secret my name not being on the title of the home I've lived in at Poplar Hill since Diane and I, not you, purchased the home over thirty years ago.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

Okay. I won't trash the appalling syntax, but I will respond firstly by reminding you that lo those many years ago, Bert was with Diane and Brooke when the Coopers determined the ownership of Poplar Hill. And secondly, to let you in on one of our secrets. Brooke originally paid 24% of the purchase price of Poplar Hill. This because of the family plan that Brooke and I might move in sometime in the future to help out. In the same note, Bert supposedly also claims.

SPEAKER_10 23:23

Donna and Mark have put their lives on hold for me, Brooke. Can you say the same?

SPEAKER_00 23:29

I'm sure you'll forgive me while I scream and pound the wall for a moment. What self-serving hogwash. Prior to meeting vulnerable benefactor Bert Cooper, Mark and Donna were financially impoverished, living in a crummy rental and lacking pensions or assets. And now Donna, who formerly faced many years of full-time work, took early retirement. She now owned one half of a million dollar plus executive home, expected to receive twice as much cash upon Bert's death, and along with Mark was enjoying life as the Chatelaine of Poplar Hill. Good grief. If that's what Bert believes putting one's life on hold for him means, sign me the frig up. So enough of their petty, nasty vitriol. Suffice it to say, there was much, much more. Okay. As of 2025, Donna and Mark were still living with the now 101-year-old Bert in Poplar Hill. I'm nearing the end of recounting our saga. Though of course the saga itself has yet to end. But let's go out the way we came in, with Mark on stage taking control of Bert Cooper's life and assets. Brooke received a phone call from Franklin, a municipal staffer.

SPEAKER_08 25:07

Well, they had your dad pretty riled up, ready to go, bring him in basically to fight out the claim they're going to keep going with the driveway. Mark and Donna kept asking, Well, can we still use it as a driveway? I said, No, you're going to damage the tree roots again. You'll be up for fines again. They said, now, what are we going to do? I just said, not all owners agree on the driveway, and we need full agreement. So the driveway's off the books. That just there set Mark right off, and he rushes over to your dad, who's just sat down and starts mumbling to him. I don't think your dad said anything, except Mark comes running back to the counter and says, Bert's just said that he'd give Donna his share of Popper Hill. Can we have the driveway now? Oh my God. I said no, wouldn't make a difference. That really upset Mark to hear that you, Brooke, still have signing thirty, and we won't let things happen without your approval.

SPEAKER_09 25:59

Thank you. That's good. Mark does like to be in control. He doesn't like you to say no to him.

SPEAKER_08 26:07

But your dad was so fostered, Brooke, it was sickening. I had no time, no way of talking to him. He's pretty much convinced by this Mark and Donna. I really wish we had our front counter and camera, because that piece of footage probably would have been very good in your case.

SPEAKER_00 26:23

Do I even have to comment? Jeez. Remember my remark about a prophetic bang? Well, it appears we have our own bit of positive karma happening. Because one morning in March of 2025, Brooke received a phone call which brightened our world. Mark Marshall was dead. Taken out by a massive heart attack. I admit to wild and crazy dancing. This is truly one of those gifts that keeps on giving. It continually gives us hope, pleasure, and a little peace. As of this moment, Bert Cooper's alive, a hundred and two, and living in Poplar Hill with Donna. And far as we know, there have been no more visits from local health authority professionals or the police. Following Mark's death, Brooke girded her loins and visited her dad to offer condolences. Bert appeared unfazed by Mark's death and only demanded that Brooke sign the permits for the unauthorized driveway. Brooke refused and immediately left, her father's bellowing filling her ears. As I've mentioned, the stress and pain of the last seven years has changed Brooke and me. We've been hurt and regrettably we've hurt one another. Thankfully, our wounds are healing, but the scars remain. I often think how hard it's been for Bert. Instead of living in peace and enjoyment, his twilight years have been chaotic, troubled, and emotional. At this juncture, Brooke and I are, as the saying goes, bowed, but not broken.

SPEAKER_01 28:47

Today's episode features the voices of Susan Anderson as Nancy, Susan Wilkie as Brooke, Vi Glossip as Ann, Matt Watson as Phil, Andy Dawson Reed as Bert, Jason Stevens as Mark, Brooke Cooper and Nancy Miles as Joan, Jane Wynne as Donna, Sunaiti Arens as Dr. Kapar, and Dennis Lindquist as Franklin. This is a production of Radio Sydney. With support from the Government of Canada's New Horizons program for seniors, the series was produced by Bill Collins, written by Nancy Miles and Brooke Cooper. Dramatization was directed by Matt Watson with sound engineering by Bill Collins. I'm Barry Bowman.

SPEAKER_07 29:33

You've been listening to an original broadcast of Radio Sydney.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

Coming to you from the Mary Wynn Spears Center in downtown Sydney by the Sea in beautiful British Columbia. Thanks for listening, and please join us again.