Chapter 10 - MONDAY'S CLOSING
Diane had arranged to sell the lakefront property for $2.9 million.
The sale required Mark's notarized approval.
The closing packet already contained one.
His signature was forged.
Again.
But this time, the notary seal belonged to someone real.
A woman named Karen Doyle.
Police found her that afternoon.
She admitted Diane paid her five thousand dollars to notarize a document without seeing Mark sign it.
"She told me her son was overseas," Karen said. "She said it was urgent."
The detective asked whether anyone else had been involved.
Karen hesitated.
"A man brought the paperwork."
"Description?"
Tall. Dark suit. Mid-forties.
The same basic description Thomas had given of the man who attacked him at the hotel.
Then Karen showed us a text message Diane had sent two days earlier.
MAKE SURE VICTOR HANDLES MONDAY. MARK CANNOT APPEAR.
Victor.
We had a name.
Back at home, Mark searched Diane's social media, old contacts, and company records.
Victor Hale appeared as "operations consultant" for Silver Creek Events.
Former security contractor.
Former private investigator.
Rachel looked over my shoulder. "That's the guy from the wedding staff photo."
Hotel footage confirmed it.
Victor had entered wearing a fake catering badge.
He attacked Thomas, then left through a service stairwell while everyone was focused on Diane screaming outside the ballroom.
The humiliation had been real.
But so had the distraction it created.
Diane had used her own ejection to cover Victor's escape.
Mark sat quietly for a long time.
"My mother knew exactly what she was doing."
I thought about Lily on the floor.
"Including with our daughter?"
No one wanted to answer that.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice said, "If you care about Lily, stop digging into Diane's finances."
I gripped the phone.
"Who is this?"
May you like
The line went silent.
Then he whispered, "Ask your daughter what Grandma made her hide in the garden."
