Chapter 8 - The Part He Played

Evan stared at the wet pavement, then spoke.

"Brooke's business was going under. A hotel client canceled a renovation and demanded the deposit back. Suppliers wanted payment. She said borrowing against the house would cover everything until she could refinance."

"You knew I hadn't agreed."

"I thought you would. Dad said the house would come to me someday."

"Not Monday at 2:15 while I was having surgery."

He flinched. "I know."

He had given Brooke a scan of my driver's license, an old signature image, the trust's address, and Daniel's firm name. He claimed he thought she was preparing a loan inquiry, not a deed. But when she said the transfer had gone through, he never checked. He came to my house and demanded I leave.

"Why?" I asked. "If you thought it was legitimate, why not explain it to me?"

"Because I knew you would say no."

The answer was so simple it left no room for excuses.

Rain slid down the garden bench. "You didn't just let her lie to me. You helped make the lie possible."

"I didn't forge your name."

"You handed her the pen."

He covered his face. I wanted to comfort him, but my life was not a spare account he could draw from when his choices became expensive.

"I need you to tell Detective Kim everything," I said. "Not what makes you look better. Everything."

"If I do, Brooke could go to prison."

"If you don't, she may take my home. And someone else may lose theirs next."

He looked up. "What do you mean, someone else?"

"I don't know yet. That's why you need to tell the truth."

He promised to call the detective. Before he left, he asked if he could bring Sophie to see me on Saturday.

"That depends on whether Brooke agrees," I said. "I won't use Sophie to punish either of you. But I won't pretend everything is normal, either."

He nodded and walked toward his car.

I thought the hardest part of the conversation was over until my phone rang. Detective Kim had obtained the filing log. The deed had been submitted using Evan's account credentials, but the upload came from the computer at Brooke's office.

"There's one more thing," she said. "The system shows a second attempted filing under your name. It was rejected because the witness field was blank."

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Someone had not made one mistake.

Someone had been practicing.