Chapter 3 - A Debt With Their Names on It
"That's impossible." Sarah turned the notice over, searching for a mistake. "We paid off the mortgage three years ago."
"I know." Mark read the lender's name again. Redwood Bridge Capital. The document listed a date six weeks earlier and two electronic signatures beneath a notary's certification.
His name. Sarah's name.
Both wrong.
He had been in Cleveland that day. Sarah had spent the morning taking Sophie to a dental appointment. They had records to prove it, but the document looked official enough to make his stomach sink.
Mark called the nonemergency police number to add the papers to the report. Then he dialed their attorney, Maya Chen, who answered on her second ring.
"Don't sign anything and don't hand the original folder to anybody without a receipt," she said. "Send me photographs. I'll check the county recording office first thing in the morning."
"Can somebody actually take our house?"
"A forged security document can be challenged. That doesn't mean we ignore it. We move quickly and keep a paper trail."
Across the kitchen Sophie sat with Mrs. Alvarez, eating a second slice of birthday cake. Sarah had put a little candle into it. The girl hadn't wanted anyone singing. A soft flicker was enough.
Mark noticed the security camera over the breakfast nook had a black cable dangling from its mount.
"Did you unplug that?" he asked Sarah.
"No. Clara told me it was blinking and giving her a headache. I thought she turned it off."
Mark climbed onto a chair. The memory card was gone.
A guest named Daniel Reeves called twenty minutes later. "I saw what happened after the bowl broke," he said. "Your sister went after Sophie like she'd been waiting for an excuse. If you need a statement, you have one."
"Thank you."
"Also, I took a photo of the birthday table right before dessert. Clara's bag was on the chair beside it. There was a blue folder sticking out."
Mark's eyes returned to the documents spread across the counter. The loan's first disbursement had gone to a construction company he had never heard of: Pierce Development Services.
His phone rang again. Unknown number.
"Mark Bennett?" a man's voice asked.
"Who is this?"
May you like
"Nolan Pierce. Clara tells me we have a misunderstanding about the house. I'd rather settle it before lawyers get involved."
Behind his polished voice, Mark heard someone say, "Tell him about the deadline."
