Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN PRETENDING TO BE HANNAH
Hannah Pike came to Claire’s house that evening.
She brought documents.
Lots of them.
Bank statements.
Emails.
Printed messages.
Her father had indeed contacted Ron months earlier demanding repayment.
But Martin died before Ron paid a cent.
After his death, Hannah received one email from Ron offering to “settle everything privately.”
She refused.
“I told him if he believed he owed my father money, he could pay it through the estate attorney.”
He didn’t.
Instead, someone began emailing Ron from a fake address that looked almost identical to Hannah’s.
The impostor knew details only a few people should have known.
The old partnership.
The amount.
The warehouse.
Even Martin’s private nickname for Ron.
And Ron paid.
More than $70,000.
“To whom?” Caleb asked.
Hannah slid over routing information.
Claire compared it to the documents from Ron’s briefcase.
Her eyebrows rose.
“That account ending in 8821 appears here too.”
I remembered seeing it attached to several rental transfers.
“Whose account?”
Hannah shook her head.
“We don’t know.”
Caleb called the detective.
Two hours later, we received an answer nobody expected.
The account belonged to a company called Cedar Lane Consulting.
Registered agent:
Patricia Monroe.
Caleb frowned.
“I don’t know her.”
I did.
Not personally.
But I knew the name.
“Your mother’s maiden name is Monroe.”
He went completely still.
We searched public records.
Cedar Lane Consulting had been registered eighteen months earlier.
Business address:
A postal box twenty minutes from Sherry’s house.
Sherry.
The grandmother who brought casseroles to neighbors.
The woman who told me I was emotional when I objected to strangers invading my house.
The woman who claimed Ron had deceived her.
She had been receiving the money.
Caleb called her immediately.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then Aunt Melissa phoned.
“Caleb, where’s your mother?”
“We don’t know.”
Melissa sounded shaken.
“I’m at their house.”
“Why?”
“She asked me to feed the dog.”
Caleb stood.
“And?”
“The closets are empty.”
My skin prickled.
“What do you mean empty?”
“Her clothes are gone. Suitcases too.”
Then Melissa said something that made every person in Claire’s living room freeze.
“There’s also a note on the kitchen table.”
“What does it say?”
Melissa read it aloud.
May you like
RON ALWAYS THOUGHT HE WAS THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE FAMILY.
HE NEVER ASKED WHO WAS TEACHING HIM WHERE TO STEAL.
