Chapter 5 - The Witness He Needed
Lorraine had not moved into my house because she needed oatmeal.
She had moved in because Daniel needed a witness.
For what, neither of us understood yet.
“He called me three nights ago,” Lorraine said. “He said you were planning to divorce him.”
“I wasn’t.”
“I know that now.”
“What exactly did he tell you?”
Lorraine closed her eyes.
“That you were trying to hide marital assets. That you planned to claim the house was entirely yours and leave him with nothing.”
“The house is entirely mine.”
“I know.”
The words sounded painful for her.
For years, Lorraine had referred to the house as “Daniel’s place.”
Whenever I corrected her, she smiled as though I were being technical.
Now the technicality mattered.
“He asked me whether I remembered all the improvements he made after the wedding,” she continued.
“What improvements?”
“The deck. The kitchen cabinets. The upstairs flooring.”
I almost laughed.
“I paid for all of those.”
Her face tightened.
“He told me he did.”
Of course he had.
Daniel loved being credited for things my money bought.
Lorraine continued.
“He said if anyone ever asked, I should explain that he had invested years of money and labor into the property.”
My stomach turned.
“He wanted you to establish a story.”
“I didn’t realize that.”
“Lorraine, he used your name for a shell company.”
She looked away.
The door opened.
Daniel stepped inside without knocking.
“That’s enough.”
Lorraine stiffened.
I stood.
Daniel looked between us.
“What did she tell you?”
The question came too quickly.
Lorraine noticed.
So did I.
“What are you afraid she told me?”
“I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Then why are you sweating?”
His face darkened.
“I brought my mother to the hospital after you abandoned her. I’m dealing with an emergency while you’re interrogating her.”
Lorraine’s voice cut through the room.
“Stop.”
Daniel froze.
His mother looked at him.
“Did you create a company in my name?”
Daniel blinked.
“What?”
“Larkin Family Holdings.”
For two seconds, nobody moved.
Then Daniel laughed.
It was the worst possible response.
Lorraine’s eyes changed.
“You did.”
“Mom, it’s just an accounting structure.”
“In my name?”
“For tax purposes.”
“You told me nothing about it.”
“There was nothing to tell.”
“One hundred fifty-six thousand dollars passed through it.”
Daniel turned toward me.
“You went through my company records?”
“My money started your company.”
“Our money.”
“My documented inheritance money.”
His jaw flexed.
Lorraine stared at him.
“What did you use my name for?”
Daniel rubbed both hands over his face.
“This is getting twisted.”
“No,” I said. “It’s getting uncovered.”
A nurse entered and asked us to leave because Lorraine needed rest.
Daniel walked out first.
I remained long enough to squeeze Lorraine’s hand once.
As I turned toward the door, she caught my wrist.
“There’s something else.”
I stopped.
Her eyes flicked toward the hallway.
“Daniel has been telling people things about you for months.”
“What things?”
“That you forget conversations.”
I stared at her.
“That you get confused when you’re stressed.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who did he tell?”
“Me. Marcus. Your brother. Maybe others.”
It was the same pattern.
Build the lie before anyone knew why he needed it.
Make me seem unreliable before the forged documents surfaced.
Lorraine pulled me slightly closer.
“One night, I heard him talking to Marcus.”
“What did he say?”
Her voice became almost inaudible.
“He said if the bank ever asked questions, nobody would believe the unstable wife over three witnesses.”
“Three?”
Lorraine nodded.
“Marcus was one.”
“You were supposed to be another?”
“Yes.”
I swallowed.
“Who was the third?”
Lorraine’s eyes filled with something close to shame.
“You’re going to hate this.”
“Tell me.”
May you like
She looked at me.
“The third witness was someone from your own family.”
