Chapter 6 - The Forged Signature
The bank froze the credit line within twenty minutes.
The fraud specialist asked questions Daniel could barely answer.
Was Emily’s identity stolen?
Yes.
Did they know by whom?
They suspected.
Were any funds transferred to accounts they recognized?
That was where the call changed.
The specialist could not disclose the full destination without the investigation, but she confirmed that four transfers went to a business account ending in 8841.
Daniel knew the number.
“Hale Property Services,” he said.
Emily looked at him. “Your mother’s company?”
“It closed three years ago.”
“Apparently not.”
Daniel called the police detective assigned to the assault report. By evening, the forged credit account had become part of a financial-fraud investigation.
Emily sat on the couch with a glass of water while Daniel paced.
“I should have seen this.”
“Stop saying that.”
“How can I?”
“Because guilt isn’t a plan.”
He stopped.
Emily met his eyes.
“I need you present, Daniel. Not destroyed.”
He nodded.
The doorbell rang.
Both of them froze.
Daniel checked the camera.
His older sister, Rachel, stood on the porch.
He opened the door but did not move aside.
“What do you want?”
Rachel looked exhausted. “To talk.”
“Did Mom send you?”
“No.”
“Do you believe her?”
Rachel rubbed her forehead. “I believe she lies when she’s cornered.”
That answer got her inside.
Rachel saw Emily’s bruised face and stopped cold.
“Oh my God.”
Emily said nothing.
Rachel’s eyes filled with shame. “She told me you threw a chair at her.”
“Do you see a chair-shaped bruise on her?” Daniel asked.
“Daniel, I’m not defending her.”
“Then why are you here?”
Rachel reached into her bag and pulled out an old manila folder.
“Because this didn’t start with Emily.”
Daniel stared at it.
Rachel placed the folder on the coffee table.
“Dad gave this to me six months before he died. He made me promise not to show you unless Mom started taking money again.”
Daniel’s face went white.
“Again?”
Rachel nodded.
Emily looked between them.
“What did she do?”
Rachel opened the folder.
Inside were canceled checks, bank statements, and a handwritten note from Daniel’s late father.
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The first line read:
DANIEL, IF YOU ARE READING THIS, YOUR MOTHER HAS NOT STOPPED.
