Chapter 9 - Daniel's Signature
The document was real.
At least, Daniel’s signature was.
He recognized the date immediately—three days before his father’s final surgery.
“I remember signing papers at the hospital,” he said.
Margaret stood on the porch, watching him absorb it.
“You were busy,” she said. “Your father was dying. I handled things.”
Daniel read the first page.
The document gave Margaret broad authority to act for him in certain financial matters.
Emily felt her pulse jump.
“Was this still valid?”
Daniel looked at the expiration section.
“No. It ended when Dad died.”
Margaret’s smile disappeared.
Daniel kept reading.
“And it never gave you permission to take loans in Emily’s name.”
Aunt Carol shifted uncomfortably.
Margaret snapped, “I did what this family needed.”
“By forging my wife’s signature?”
“You have no proof I did that.”
Daniel held up his phone.
“Police are tracing it.”
The pastor quietly stepped away from Margaret.
So did Uncle Ray.
Margaret noticed.
Her face hardened.
“This is what she wanted. She wanted you separated from us.”
Emily finally spoke.
“I wanted you to stop hitting me.”
Margaret looked at her with naked hatred.
For a moment, there was no performance.
No tears.
No trembling voice.
Just rage.
Daniel saw it too.
“Get off my property.”
Margaret tore the document from his hand.
“You will regret choosing her.”
“I’m choosing the truth.”
“You think that makes you strong?”
“No. It makes me late.”
Margaret turned and marched toward her car.
The relatives followed more slowly.
Before she got in, she looked back at Emily.
“You have no idea what you married into.”
Then she drove away.
That afternoon, the forensic accountant, Maya Chen, arrived at the house with two laptops and a stack of records.
By dinner, she had found nine suspicious payments from Hale Construction over eighteen months.
Seven were approved under Peter’s login.
Two were approved under Daniel’s.
“I was out of state on both dates,” Daniel said.
Maya nodded. “Then someone used your credentials.”
“Can you tell from where?”
“I can request the login logs.”
Her laptop chimed.
She opened a new report.
The first unauthorized login came from Daniel and Emily’s home internet address.
The second came from Margaret’s house.
Emily felt the room tilt.
Then Maya clicked another column.
“There’s one more thing.”
“What?” Daniel asked.
“The most recent transfer was initiated yesterday at 12:46 p.m.”
May you like
Emily stared at her.
That was five minutes after Margaret slammed her head into the kitchen table.
