Chapter 6 - THE HUSBAND WHO WALKED INTO THE TRAP
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The next morning, I returned home.
Marcus stood in the kitchen.
Dolores was there.
Tyler too.
A realtor.
A mortgage broker.
And two attorneys.
It looked like a business meeting.
Not a family home.
Ava stood near the stairs.
Marcus smiled.
“There she is.”
I looked at him.
“You wanted me to come.”
“Yes.”
“Where are the papers?”
One attorney placed them on the table.
Transfer documents.
Mortgage assignments.
Power of attorney.
Everything.
I picked up the pen.
Marcus watched eagerly.
“Once you sign, Mom can move into the property.”
I smiled.
“Of course.”
He relaxed.
Then Ava spoke.
“Mom?”
I looked at her.
“Yes?”
“Why are all these people here?”
Marcus turned.
“Ava, go upstairs.”
“No.”
The room went silent.
I looked at my daughter.
“Stay.”
Marcus's face tightened.
“Renee.”
I signed the first page.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Marcus smiled.
“Good.”
Then I placed the pen down.
“Done.”
He reached for the documents.
Natalie stepped through the front door.
“Not quite.”
Everyone froze.
Behind her were two federal investigators.
Tyler stumbled backward.
Dolores dropped her phone.
Marcus stared at me.
“What did you do?”
I smiled.
“Exactly what you asked.”
He picked up the papers.
Then noticed the red stamp on the final page.
INVALID — SUBJECT TO ACTIVE FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
His face went white.
“What?”
I turned toward the investigators.
“Explain.”
The lead investigator spoke.
“These documents were submitted as part of an attempted fraudulent transfer.”
Marcus shook his head.
“That isn't true.”
“We have the recordings.”
“What recordings?”
I held up my phone.
“Your call last night.”
His expression changed.
“You recorded me?”
“In California, the law around recording depends on the circumstances,” I said calmly. “Our investigators obtained additional evidence independently.”
The investigator nodded.
“Bank records, forged documents, shell companies and witness testimony.”
Marcus stared at Claire.
Then his expression turned vicious.
“You.”
Claire stepped forward.
“Me.”
Dolores whispered:
“Claire.”
I looked at her.
“You knew?”
Dolores looked away.
“I knew enough.”
“That you were helping them steal from me?”
“I was protecting Marcus.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“You were protecting yourself.”
Tyler tried to leave.
Two agents stopped him.
He shouted:
“I didn't do anything!”
The investigator showed him the mortgage application.
His signature.
His broker account.
His emails.
Tyler's face collapsed.
Marcus stepped toward me.
“You think you've won?”
I nodded.
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I know.”
He laughed.
“You'll never understand how big Redwood is.”
The investigator answered.
“We don't need to.”
He opened a file.
“Your accounts are frozen.”
Marcus stopped smiling.
“Your shell companies are being seized.”
Silence.
“Your family's property claims are under review.”
Dolores sank into a chair.
“And your financial records have been referred for criminal investigation.”
Marcus looked at me.
“This is your fault.”
I stared.
“No.”
I glanced at Ava.
“This is what happens when you mistake kindness for weakness.”
Marcus lunged toward me.
An agent stopped him.
Ava stepped closer.
“Mom?”
I hugged her.
“We're okay.”
Marcus was handcuffed.
Dolores was detained for questioning.
Tyler's phone was confiscated.
And for the first time in years, the house was quiet.
But then Claire found something.
A hidden file on Marcus's laptop.
A list of payments.
Redwood Capital.
Dolores.
Tyler.
And one more name.
Renee Hale.
I stared.
“What?”
Claire shook her head.
“That isn't a payment.”
“It says twelve thousand dollars.”
“Look at the account.”
The recipient wasn't me.
It was someone using my name.
Someone had been stealing my identity long before Marcus married me.
I looked at Claire.
“Who?”
May you like
She whispered:
“Your father.”
