For most people, going out to grab a bite of cheap food late at night is a regular habit.
When 87-year-old Katherine Jackson was spotted doing it, however, it was nothing short of alarming.
TMZ reports that the matriarch was spotted at a West Hollywood diner at 11pm on Wednesday night.
She was seen in the company of one bodyguard and two women.
That’s a long drive from her Calabasas home, particularly considering that she’s 87 years old and said to be fond of living at her home and having meals prepared by her personal chef.
She’s reportedly living in a hotel near her Calabasas home.
And apparently some family members worry that this is all part of a power struggle for control over Katherine herself … and, therefore, over the family’s considerable fortune.
It’s horrible to think of what people will do to obtain access to and control over someone else’s money.
Unlike a lot of crime dramas would have us believe, it’s very rarely about murder.
In fact, when there’s an ironclad will in place, sometimes the worst thing for someone taking advantage of an elderly relative would be their death.
Then they’d be left with nothing but their own inheritance.
But by accessing the family fortune directly — gaining access to it with access to Katherine herself — they could have an unlimited money supply.
Until Katherine has enough, that is.
There may be good reason to worry about Katherine Jackson’s well-being.
In addition to accusing her nephew and former driver, Trent, of emotional abuse, Katherine is said to have feared for her physical safety in retaliation for finally parting ways with him.
But even out of Trent’s clutches, there may be others who are looking to take advantage of her and in particular to keep her away from her grandchildren.
She’s been away from grandson Blanket so much recently that his sister Paris is reportedly concerned.
It may be that other Jackson relatives are taking her under their proverbial wings and literal influence.
They could be keeping her isolated and in some ways dependent on her.
An 11pm visit to a diner isn’t a standard pit-stop for Katherine, but it’s possible that she isn’t calling the shots in her life anymore.
But before we ring any alarm bells, we need to look at other possible explanations.
First of all, 87-year-olds can absolutely stay up until midnight or later.
They can also have food cravings — and even women who like formal meals might get the occasional hankering for something simple and greasy.
The guard with her might be entirely her doing.
After all, she’s a wealthy woman and she at one point stated that she was afraid that Trent would come after her.
A bodyguard would help with that.
Trent had complete access to her house and she might very realistically fear that he could still get in. She might also worry that he’s left monitoring devices behind.
Sounds like a great reason to stay somewhere else to us.
Ultimately, we’ll see, and just because we can think of alternative theories doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be concerned for Katherine Jackson’s well-being.
Anybody who loves their grandmother wouldn’t want to think of her in this kind of situation.