Chapter 10 - The Man Behind Grayline

Ethan gave the threatening message to the detective assigned to our identity-theft report, Detective Leah Park. She asked us not to confront Dylan, preserve the text and camera footage, and let her request records through proper channels.

"We want to help," I said.

"Then help by staying safe," she replied. "That matters more than catching someone yourself."

Back home, we changed the locks, disabled the old guest-room codes, and told our neighbors not to give anyone information about our schedule. I hated how the precautions made our house feel like a place under siege.

That evening, a woman called from a number I didn't recognize.

"My name's Tessa Morgan," she said. "I used to work for Dylan at Grayline. I heard Brooke was living with you."

"How did you get my number?"

"Your sister gave it to me when she was trying to get a job. Listen carefully. Grayline isn't a consulting company. It moves money for people who don't want questions asked."

I glanced at Ethan, who had come in quietly and heard the last part.

"Are you willing to talk to the police?" he asked.

"Already did. They told me to stop contacting anyone involved. But I saw a photograph of Mara on Dylan's desk. It was printed beside an application."

"What application?" I asked.

"A home equity loan. Your home."

My mouth went dry. Our home was the one place I had always believed belonged to us, not to my family's chaos.

That evening Ethan checked every window latch while I sat at the dining table making a list of people who could help. Rachel could bring groceries. Our neighbor Helen could collect packages. Camille knew the paperwork. Park knew the legal boundaries. I wrote their names down because isolation had been the perfect condition for Brooke's demands. Asking for help from trustworthy people, I was discovering, was not the same as surrendering control.

"He can't take out a loan against our house," Ethan said. "Not without our signatures and verification."

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"He knows that," Tessa replied. "That's why he's looking for somebody inside the process."

Then she lowered her voice. "And he's not just using Brooke anymore."