Chapter 6 - THE ACCOUNTS THAT BELONGED TO A CHILD
Emma sat cross-legged on the hotel-room carpet, helping Lily arrange toy dinosaurs by color. Daniel waited until Lily was busy before telling his oldest daughter what the bank had found.
“My name?” Emma asked. “I'm sixteen.”
“Exactly. You couldn't have opened these accounts yourself the way the paperwork claims.”
Amanda had used Emma's information for loans and a line of credit. One document listed a nonexistent employer; another included a photocopy of Emma's school ID.
“Mom asked for my Social Security card last spring,” Emma said. “She said the counselor needed it for college forms.”
Daniel shut his eyes. The damage suddenly had a face.
Rebecca brought in a specialist who helped families address identity theft. They began the tedious process of freezing Emma's credit files, disputing the accounts, and keeping everything documented. Emma wanted to call her mother and demand an explanation.
“No,” Daniel said softly. “You don't have to carry the investigation.”
“She's still my mom.”
“I know.”
“Then why does it feel like she's been collecting us instead of loving us?”
He didn't have an answer. He pulled her close and let her cry against his shoulder.
Later, as he folded Lily's pajamas, his phone rang. It was a woman named Sabrina York, calling from a number he didn't recognize.
“I saw Amanda's arrest on the news,” she said. “If she's working with Cody Ellis, your children aren't the first.”
Daniel went still. “Who are you?”
“Someone whose life they nearly emptied. I tried to report it five years ago, and nobody listened.”
“Why contact me now?”
“Because I found something while cleaning out my mother's house.”
May you like
She lowered her voice. “It's a photograph of Amanda and Cody, taken three years before you met her.”
