Chapter 10 - THE MARRIAGE WAS REALLY A BUSINESS DEAL
Lisa came back to Mr. Bennett’s office the next morning.
This time she looked angry instead of frightened.
“You knew about the loan?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because Richard said it was under control.”
I almost laughed.
“Everything Richard says is under control seems to be on fire.”
Lisa closed her eyes.
The loan belonged to a restaurant investment Dad had convinced her to join.
She put in $140,000.
Dad promised he would handle the rest.
The restaurant failed.
Instead of telling her, he borrowed more money.
Then he convinced Lisa that once Mom died, her estate would cover the debt.
“That’s why you wanted to get married so quickly,” I said.
Lisa didn’t answer.
“You thought marriage would give you access to his inheritance.”
She whispered:
“Yes.”
At least she stopped pretending it was only grief and romance.
Dad needed Mom’s money to save himself.
Lisa needed Dad’s supposed inheritance to save herself.
They weren’t merely lovers.
They were two desperate people using the same dead woman as their exit plan.
Then Mr. Bennett gave Lisa worse news.
The loan agreement contained a cross-default clause.
If the lender discovered material financial misrepresentations, both guarantors could face immediate collection.
Dad’s forged documents were now part of a fraud investigation.
Lisa’s face crumpled.
“He ruined me.”
I stared at her.
“No.”
She looked at me.
“You helped him ruin my mother.”
That silenced her.
A week later, Lisa filed for an annulment.
Dad refused.
He claimed she was abandoning him because of money.
She responded by giving investigators every message she had saved.
Then something unexpected happened.
Dad disappeared.
His apartment was empty.
His car was gone.
His phone went dead.
Two days passed.
Then three.
On the fourth morning, I received a package with no return address.
Inside was Mom’s old jewelry box.
I recognized it instantly.
It had disappeared after her funeral.
Dad told me he had given it to Lisa.
Lisa swore she had never seen it.
Inside were Mom’s wedding ring, her grandmother’s bracelet, and an envelope addressed to me.
But the strangest thing was beneath the jewelry.
A storage-unit receipt.
Unit 417.
Paid in cash.
Rented by Richard Carter.
The rental date was one week before Mom died.
Daniel and I stared at each other.
Mr. Bennett called the police before we went anywhere.
May you like
Because if Dad had hidden Mom’s jewelry there...
We had no idea what else he had been trying to keep from us.
