Chapter 8: The Appointment That Was Never Supposed to Happen
Officer Bennett immediately stopped reviewing the paperwork.
“Miss, what exactly do you mean?””
Brianna looked terrified.
“I don't know everything. I just heard them talking.””
“Who?””
“Mom and Richard.””
Vanessa slammed her hand against the counter.
“This is ridiculous! She's confused!””
Officer Bennett turned toward her.
“Ma'am, please allow her to finish.””
Brianna took a shaky breath.
“They said Marcus had to be declared incompetent before the company transfer. But Richard said that might not be enough.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did he say?””
“He said there was another way to make sure you couldn't challenge anything.””
Officer Bennett asked her to explain.
Brianna looked at her phone.
“There's a voice recording.””
Vanessa lunged toward her again.
“Give me that phone!””
Officer Bennett stepped between them.
“Ma'am, step back.””
Brianna opened the recording.
Richard's voice filled the kitchen.
“Vanessa, we can't leave this to chance. If Marcus discovers the transfer, he'll go straight to his lawyer.””
Vanessa answered, “He already suspects something.””
Richard continued.
“Then we need to make sure he doesn't have access to the company before Friday.””
“What if he refuses the evaluation?””
“Then we use the alternative.””
“What alternative?””
There was a brief silence.
Richard finally replied.
“An incident. Something that makes him look unstable and dangerous. If he loses control in front of witnesses, we can use it.””
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
Officer Bennett looked at Vanessa.
“Do you recognize the voice?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
Brianna stared at her mother.
“Mom, it's Richard.””
“I said I don't recognize it!””
Officer Bennett calmly asked Vanessa to sit down.
She refused.
Instead, she pointed at me.
“This is all his fault! He's been controlling everyone in this house for years!””
I almost laughed.
“Vanessa, you arranged a fraudulent vehicle loan, transferred company funds, fabricated medical allegations, and planned to take my business.””
“Those are lies!””
Daniel finally spoke.
“I have the emails, Vanessa. All of them.””
She turned toward him.
“You promised me!””
Daniel looked ashamed.
“I promised to help you with the financial restructuring. I didn't agree to destroy Marcus's life.””
“You were sleeping with me!””
“I know. And I'll answer for that. But I'm not going to keep lying.””
Officer Bennett collected copies of the documents and requested that everyone preserve their electronic communications.
He also advised me to contact the appropriate financial fraud authorities and have my attorney coordinate the next steps.
Before leaving, he asked Brianna whether she felt safe staying in the house.
She looked at Vanessa.
Then she whispered, “I don't know.””
That answer hurt more than anything else.
The officers left after taking preliminary statements.
Daniel remained in the kitchen.
I looked at him.
“Get out of my house.””
He nodded.
“I deserve that.””
“You do.””
He picked up his briefcase.
At the door, he turned around.
“Marcus, I know you hate me. But there's one thing you need to understand about Richard.””
I waited.
“He isn't working alone.””
“What does that mean?””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“He has been approaching other business owners using the same method. He identifies wealthy people with complicated family situations, finds someone close enough to obtain their personal information, and creates fraudulent financial obligations.””
I stared at him.
“How many?””
“Three that I know of.””
“Why didn't you report him?””
Daniel looked away.
“Because I thought I could get out before anyone discovered what we'd done.””
I shook my head.
“Leave.””
He walked outside.
I locked the door behind him.
For the next hour, I sat with Brianna in the living room.
She had stopped crying.
She looked smaller than I remembered, almost like the little girl who used to sit on my shoulders at the county fair.
“Why didn't you tell me?”” I asked.
She stared at her hands.
“Mom said you'd send me away.””
“I wouldn't have.””
“She said you never really wanted me. That you only acted like you loved me because you wanted her to marry you.””
I swallowed.
“Did you believe her?””
“Sometimes.””
I looked at her.
“Brianna, I didn't buy you that Highlander because I wanted to prove something to your mother. I bought it because I thought you'd be happy.””
She wiped her eyes.
“I know.””
“Then why did you help them?””
“Because I wanted the Mercedes. And the trust fund. And I wanted Mom to stop saying Emily was better than me.””
I nodded slowly.
There it was.
The truth wasn't pretty.
Brianna had been manipulated, but she had also made choices.
And those choices had nearly destroyed our family.
“Do you understand what could happen now?”” I asked.
She nodded.
“I'm sorry.””
I didn't answer immediately.
“I believe you regret what happened. But saying sorry doesn't erase the damage.””
She began crying again.
I let her cry.
I wasn't ready to forgive her.
But I wasn't going to abandon her either.
The following morning, Susan arrived at the house with two additional attorneys.
She reviewed the documents and instructed me to contact the bank, the dealership, and the company accountant.
By noon, we had discovered something even worse.
The first $48,000 transfer wasn't the only money that had disappeared.
There were four additional transactions totaling $183,000.
All had been processed through accounts connected to Richard Lawson's consulting company.
Susan placed the statements on my desk.
“Marcus, we need to freeze the remaining accounts immediately.””
I nodded.
“Do it.””
She pointed to another page.
“There's also a company loan application submitted yesterday.””
I frowned.
“Under whose name?””
She turned the paper toward me.
The borrower was Williams Commercial Development.
The guarantor was Marcus Williams.
And the requested amount was $1.8 million.
I stared at the document.
“I never approved this.””
“I know.””
Then Susan pointed to the attached authorization.
It contained my electronic signature.
But something else caught my eye.
The application listed a second beneficiary.
*Richard Lawson Holdings.*
I looked at Susan.
“Can they actually get this money?””
“Not if we move quickly.””
She picked up her phone.
Then she stopped.
“Marcus, there's one more problem.””
“What?””
She pointed to the final page.
“The application claims you personally guaranteed the loan using your residential property as collateral.””
I stared at the address.
My house.
The home I'd bought before marrying Vanessa.
The house where Emily had taken her first steps.
The house where I'd welcomed Brianna when she was still a little girl.
Someone had tried to put it on the line.
And according to the bank's electronic records, the application had been submitted using my office credentials.
Susan immediately contacted the lender's fraud department.
But before she could finish the call, my phone rang.
It was Emily.
“Dad?””
“Hey, sweetheart. What's wrong?””
“Someone came to my apartment.””
My heart jumped.
“Who?””
“A man. He said he was from the company and needed me to sign some paperwork.””
“Did you sign anything?””
“No. But he knew my full name, my student ID, and where I parked my car.””
I stood.
“Emily, lock your door. Don't let anyone inside.””
“Dad, he left something.””
“What?””
“A folder.””
“What was inside?””
She began crying.
“Pictures of you, Dad. And a letter saying I could be charged with fraud if I didn't cooperate.””
I closed my eyes.
May you like
Richard had found another way to reach us.
And this time, he'd gone after my daughter.
