Chapter 12 - The Previous Owner
The previous owner was a company called Merrick Residential Partners.
Frank Merrick’s company.
I felt the floor tilt beneath me.
Marcus explained that the duplex had gone through a routine off-market sale after a partnership breakup.
Nothing in my closing documents had seemed suspicious.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“I told you the seller was an investment LLC. His name wasn’t on the public-facing materials.”
“Did Dileia know?”
“I have no idea.”
Patricia did.
By morning she had pulled the company filings.
Frank had owned forty percent of the seller entity.
He had made money when I bought the duplex.
Now he had entered it again with Dileia.
When questioned by the commission, Frank changed his story for the third time.
He claimed Dileia told him I wanted to resell quickly.
Patricia asked why he did not disclose his prior ownership interest.
He said he forgot.
Nobody believed that.
Then the commission investigator found a text message recovered from Dileia’s phone.
Frank to Dileia:
If she sells before year-end, there’s room for everybody.
Another message followed.
Do not mention my old LLC.
I read it twice.
Dileia had not invented the entire scheme alone.
She had help from someone who knew the property, knew real estate procedure, and knew exactly how fast a rushed deal could move.
But the next text hurt more.
Dileia to Frank:
My parents will pressure her if she resists.
I stared at those words until they blurred.
She had built our family habits into the plan.
My guilt.
Mom’s pleading.
Dad’s desire for peace.
All of it had been treated like leverage.
Then Patricia turned the page.
There was one more message.
Frank to Dileia:
May you like
Once Unit A is empty, appraisal comes in higher.
That was why she had tried to force Ben and Yolanda out.
