Chapter 9 - The Forged Letter

Julian took the letter to a document examiner rather than throwing accusations across another expensive desk. By afternoon, Serrano had obtained a copy of the original from Faye's records.

"Somebody traced your signature from a genuine document," the examiner said. "The curve on the K repeats exactly. Real handwriting isn't a rubber stamp."

"Can you prove who did it?"

"Not from this page. But I can prove the signature wasn't written on this letter."

Julian sent the finding to Serrano, then drove to the little motel where Faye and Sadie were waiting for a safer placement. He brought crayons, a paper bag of breakfast sandwiches, and a terrible sense of being late to his own life.

Sadie sat cross-legged on the bed, coloring a dog purple.

"That's an interesting dog," he said.

"He's an imaginary dog. He can be purple."

"Fair point."

She pointed at the paper bag. "Did you remember no onions?"

"I asked Faye."

Sadie took a cautious bite. "Mom always checks, too."

Julian sat on the floor, a few feet away. "Someone sent your mom a letter pretending to be me. It said things I never said."

"Like what?"

He forced himself not to soften it into a lie. "That I would hurt her if she came back."

Sadie put down the sandwich. "Mom cried when she read it. She kept it in a plastic bag because she said someday I'd need to know why we moved."

"She shouldn't have had to read it at all."

"Are you mad at her?"

"No. I'm mad that someone frightened her."

Sadie thought about this, then pushed the purple dog drawing toward him. "You can have this until we find her. So you won't be alone."

He accepted it with both hands.

His phone vibrated. Serrano had sent a photograph of an old hospital admission form Nora had kept. At the bottom was a handwritten note: Morrow 418, back wall, power cut first.

Julian called her. "What does that mean?"

"We're about to find out. Our search team is at the warehouse."

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