Chapter 12
Kevin sounded terrified.
I stepped into Marissa’s garage so Emma couldn’t hear.
“What did Michael ask you to do?”
“Can we meet?”
“No.”
“Sarah, please.”
“Tell me now.”
Kevin exhaled.
“He asked me to witness your signature.”
My blood went cold.
“On the refinance?”
“Yes.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
I leaned against the wall.
“When?”
“Last month.”
“What exactly happened?”
“He brought paperwork to my office. Your signature was already on it.”
“And he wanted you to say you watched me sign.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Kevin was silent.
“Kevin.”
“Because he’s my brother.”
I laughed bitterly.
“That excuse is getting popular.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I told him no.”
“You still stayed quiet.”
“I thought he would drop it.”
“He didn’t.”
“I know.”
“Did Diane know?”
“Yes.”
“Lauren?”
“I don’t know.”
“Raymond?”
“Probably.”
I closed my eyes.
“How involved are you?”
Kevin’s voice dropped.
“Not the way they are.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
He sighed.
“My dad covered a shortage for me years ago.”
I remembered the ledger.
Ninety-five thousand dollars.
“What shortage?”
“My business was failing.”
“So Richard gave you money?”
“He moved money through Collins Construction.”
“Legally?”
Silence.
I already knew.
“That’s why you all protect each other.”
“Yes.”
The honesty surprised me.
Kevin continued.
“I spent years pretending it wasn’t my problem because Dad fixed it.”
“Until now.”
“Until I saw Mom hit you.”
I almost laughed.
“That’s what changed you?”
“It reminded me of Claire.”
I froze.
“You saw Diane hit Claire?”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing then too.”
His silence was answer enough.
I felt tired beyond anger.
“Why are you calling now?”
“Because Michael came to my house this morning.”
“What did he want?”
“He wanted me to delete messages.”
My heartbeat accelerated.
“What messages?”
“Texts about your documents.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Send them to my attorney.”
“I will.”
“Now.”
“Okay.”
“And Kevin?”
“Yes?”
“If you leave anything out, I will find out.”
“I know.”
He sounded defeated.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“It isn’t worth much yet.”
I ended the call.
Within twenty minutes, Rebecca received screenshots.
Michael had texted Kevin multiple times.
Need witness only, Sarah doesn’t have to be present.
Kevin replied:
That is literally fraud.
Michael:
It’s temporary. Mom sells by spring.
Another exchange:
If Sarah finds out?
Michael:
She won’t.
I stared at those two words until my vision blurred.
She won’t.
That had been Michael’s plan.
Not to confess.
Not to repay me and explain.
To make sure I never knew.
Rebecca forwarded everything to the investigator handling my bank fraud report.
By evening, Michael had been formally served with divorce papers.
He called immediately.
I didn’t answer.
Then he sent a voice message.
“Sarah, please. Divorce? Really? After six years? I know I screwed up, but this is bigger than one mistake. Emma loves me. I love you. Don’t let lawyers turn this into something it doesn’t have to be.”
I listened twice.
Not because I missed him.
Because I noticed what he never said.
I’m sorry I forged your signature.
I’m sorry I took Emma’s money.
I’m sorry I slept with Lauren.
He still described everything as one mistake.
I saved the recording.
The next morning, Diane showed up at Marissa’s house.
I saw her through the window.
She wore sunglasses and carried a casserole dish.
For one absurd second, she looked like she was arriving at another Sunday dinner.
Marissa opened the door but kept the chain on.
“I want to see Sarah.”
“No.”
“I’m her mother-in-law.”
“Currently.”
Diane’s mouth tightened.
I walked into view.
“Leave.”
She lifted the casserole.
“I came to apologize.”
“With baked pasta?”
Her face reddened.
“Can we please behave like adults?”
“You slapped me.”
“And you hit me back.”
“After you tried twice.”
She glanced around.
“Can we speak privately?”
“No.”
“Sarah, I know you’ve contacted authorities.”
“Yes.”
Her expression hardened.
“You could send Michael to prison.”
I stared at her.
“He could send himself.”
“You don’t understand what desperation makes people do.”
“Desperation doesn’t create fake signatures by accident.”
“We were trying to save the family home.”
“With my home.”
Diane lowered her voice.
“Richard left me with problems.”
“Richard left you a paid-off house.”
Her face changed.
So Claire and the ledger were telling the truth.
I stepped closer to the doorway.
“You took two hundred and ten thousand dollars from Collins Construction before he died.”
Diane went pale.
“Who told you that?”
“Interesting response.”
“That money was mine.”
“Then why hide it?”
She looked toward the driveway.
For the first time, Diane seemed frightened.
“What else have you seen?”
“Enough.”
She gripped the casserole dish.
“Sarah, Raymond is dangerous.”
I went still.
“Dangerous how?”
“You need to stop digging.”
“Why?”
“Because he has records that can hurt all of us.”
“Then maybe all of you should have thought about that before hurting me.”
Her voice became urgent.
“This is not just about your mortgage.”
“I know.”
She stared.
“You found the ledger.”
“Copies.”
Diane’s face drained completely.
Then she whispered, “Lauren gave you Raymond’s files.”
I didn’t answer.
She knew anyway.
Diane turned as if to leave.
Then she looked back.
“If Raymond thinks Lauren copied those files, he won’t protect her.”
“Protect her from what?”
Diane swallowed.
“From himself.”
She walked away.
Marissa shut the door.
I immediately called Lauren.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
I called Mom.
“Have you spoken to Lauren?”
“Not since last night.”
“Go to the Oak Brook apartment.”
“Why?”
“Just go. Don’t go inside alone.”
I called Rebecca and told her what Diane had said.
Then my phone rang.
Lauren.
I answered instantly.
“Where are you?”
Her breathing came fast.
“Sarah.”
“Where are you?”
“I messed up.”
“What happened?”
“I went to Raymond’s office.”
“Why?”
“To put the flash drive back.”
My stomach dropped.
“Why would you do that?”
“He knew.”
“Knew what?”
“That I copied it.”
I heard a door slam somewhere behind her.
“Lauren, where are you?”
“In my car.”
“Drive somewhere public.”
“I am.”
“Call the police if he threatened you.”
“He didn’t threaten me.”
“Then what happened?”
Lauren started crying.
“He showed me a second set of files.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“What files?”
“About Dad.”
I froze.
Our father had died six years earlier.
“What about Dad?”
May you like
Her voice broke.
“Sarah, Raymond knew him.”
