Chapter 5 - THE SIGNATURE
The wedding became background noise. The music stopped. Guests pretended not to listen.
Aaron stepped closer. “The bank flagged a guaranty that did not match its existing file.”
Daniel looked at me.
I already knew.
Two weeks earlier, my bank had called to verify my signature on a $750,000 guaranty. I had never signed it. I told them so, called Martin, and waited.
Daniel’s voice was barely audible. “Who submitted it?”
Aaron hesitated. “Your office login was used.”
Vanessa laughed too loudly. “This is insane. It’s your company. Obviously his login was used.”
Aaron looked directly at her. “The file was uploaded at 11:47 p.m. from the IP address assigned to Daniel’s home.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
He and Vanessa had been at the rehearsal dinner at that time.
Or Daniel had.
Vanessa had disappeared for almost forty minutes, saying she had a migraine.
I watched him remember. He turned to her. “Did you go home last night?”
“What? No.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
Aaron opened his phone. “There’s more. The bank sent the document image.”
He showed Daniel the screen.
Daniel stared.
Then handed the phone to Martin.
At the bottom was a careful imitation of my signature: Evelyn Mercer.
Vanessa shook her head. “Anyone could have done that.”
I spoke quietly. “That is true.”
She looked almost relieved.
“So I asked the hotel’s security team to preserve footage from the owner’s parking level.”
Her relief disappeared.
Daniel looked at me. “Why would the hotel have footage of our house?”
“It doesn’t.”
I turned toward Vanessa.
“But it does have footage of who left the rehearsal dinner at 11:19, drove away, and returned at 12:06.”
Vanessa’s lips parted.
Thomas held up a small tablet.
“Mrs. Mercer,” he said, “the clip is ready.”
May you like
Vanessa took one step backward.
And Daniel finally stopped defending her.
