Chapter 9 - THE MONEY THAT WAS NEVER HIS
Once Gavin admitted the investment fraud, everything accelerated.
Federal investigators entered the case.
His company's records were seized.
Accounts frozen.
Phones collected.
The number wasn't four million.
It was closer to nine.
Retirees.
Small-business owners.
A widow who had invested her husband's life-insurance payout.
People who trusted Gavin because he wore good suits and remembered their grandchildren's names.
He had used new investor money to cover old losses.
Then the money stopped coming.
He needed an asset.
My asset.
My grandmother's land.
My house.
Our daughter's future trust.
Anything he could monetize.
I listened as the investigator explained it.
Then asked the question I didn't want answered.
“Was Maren involved?”
“We're still determining that.”
Maren called me that night.
“I didn't know about the investors.”
I said nothing.
“I swear.”
“You knew about the house.”
“Yes.”
“You knew about the land.”
“Yes.”
“You knew he was forging something.”
“No.”
“Did you ever ask where the money came from?”
Silence.
Exactly.
Maren hadn't known everything.
But she had known enough to avoid asking questions.
That mattered.
Three days later, Gavin was arrested.
Fraud.
Identity theft.
Forgery.
Conspiracy.
He was released on bond with travel restrictions.
I should have felt safer.
I didn't.
Because Kelsey Moore was still missing.
Then at 2:06 a.m., my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
No voice.
Just breathing.
Then a woman whispered, “Tessa?”
“Kelsey?”
A sob.
“Yes.”
“Where are you?”
“I can't tell you.”
“Police are looking for you.”
“I know.”
“Then turn yourself in.”
“I will.”
“Where are you?”
She ignored the question.
“Gavin didn't ask me to impersonate you.”
My body went still.
“Who did?”
“Maren.”
I sat up in bed.
“What?”
“She told me you knew about the power of attorney. She said you were too sick to come sign it.”
“Pregnant isn't sick.”
“I know that now.”
“Why did you pretend to be me?”
“She offered me twenty thousand dollars.”
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Money.
Always money.
Kelsey continued.
“But that isn't why I'm calling.”
“Then why?”
“Because I found something before I left.”
“What?”
“A second set of papers.”
My heart pounded.
“What papers?”
“Custody documents.”
I went cold.
Emma wasn't even born yet.
“What kind?”
Kelsey began crying harder.
“Gavin planned to file for emergency custody immediately after delivery.”
I swallowed.
“On what grounds?”
“That you were mentally unstable.”
I already knew that part.
Then Kelsey whispered:
“But Maren wasn't supposed to be the baby's stepmother.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“The custody petition names someone else as Gavin's intended guardian if anything happened to you.”
“Who?”
May you like
Kelsey answered.
“Your sister June.”
