Chapter 12: The Attorney Who Knew Too Much
Nobody spoke.
Michael stared at the document as though it had physically struck him.
I looked from him to Rebecca.
"Michael, what is this?""
He took the paper carefully.
"I've never seen this agreement.""
Rebecca folded her arms.
"Your signature is right there.""
"I can see that.""
"Then explain it.""
Michael turned the document toward the light.
"Sarah, look at the date.""
I leaned closer.
The agreement had supposedly been signed seven years earlier.
But there was a problem.
Seven years earlier, Michael had been working as a junior attorney at another firm.
He hadn't joined his current practice until four years later.
"That's not possible," he said.
Rebecca frowned.
"Are you saying someone forged your signature?""
"Yes.""
He placed the document on the table.
"And I think I know whose signature they copied.""
He opened his briefcase and retrieved an old file.
Inside were several legal documents from his former practice.
He compared the signatures.
The resemblance was obvious.
Someone had copied his signature from an older document and placed it on the fraudulent trust agreement.
But why?
Michael looked at Rebecca.
"Who gave you this?""
"Patricia.""
"Did she explain what it was?""
"She said it was proof that my inheritance had been illegally withheld.""
Michael rubbed his forehead.
"Rebecca, did she ask you to sign anything?""
"Yes. A release.""
"Did you?""
"No.""
Michael nodded.
"Good.""
He turned toward me.
"Sarah, I need to tell you something about my connection to your father.""
My stomach tightened.
"What connection?""
"Robert Thompson was one of my first major clients. I represented him in a property dispute before his death.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because it wasn't relevant to your initial estate matter. Your father had separate counsel for his will and trust.""
I stared at him.
"Did you know about Patricia?""
"Yes.""
"Did you know about Daniel?""
He hesitated.
"Not the full extent of what he was doing.""
I stood.
"Michael, I need the truth. Did my father ever tell you he suspected Daniel was stealing from me?""
Michael nodded slowly.
"Yes.""
The room went silent again.
I felt betrayed all over again.
"What?""
"About six months before his death, your father asked me to investigate some unusual financial transactions involving Daniel.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Your father specifically asked me not to confront Daniel until he had sufficient evidence. He was concerned that an accusation would damage your marriage and potentially alert Patricia.""
I shook my head.
"So you knew my husband was being investigated?""
"I knew there were suspicious transactions. I did not know about the affair, the forged documents, or the extent of the current scheme.""
I looked at Emily.
She seemed equally stunned.
Michael opened another folder.
"Your father left instructions for me to release a sealed document if someone attempted to transfer ownership of his property without your consent.""
He removed a thick envelope.
My name was written across it.
I recognized my father's handwriting.
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
Sarah,
If Michael is giving you this, then Daniel has finally made the mistake I feared.
There is something I need you to know about your marriage.
I discovered that Daniel had been making payments to Patricia long before your wedding. I also discovered that Patricia had been collecting information about your finances.
She didn't choose Daniel to marry you because she believed he loved you.
She chose him because she believed he could gain your trust.
My hands began trembling.
The letter continued.
I tried to stop the marriage, but I failed. I am sorry.
I lowered the page.
For years, I had believed my father simply disliked Daniel.
Now I understood.
He had seen the danger.
And I had mistaken his warnings for stubbornness.
Michael gave me a moment before continuing.
"There's another part of the letter.""
I looked down.
The original trust certificate is not the document Patricia wants most. There is a second certificate, held by the independent trustee.
I looked up.
"What does that mean?""
Michael explained that the first certificate confirmed my controlling interest in the family properties.
The second contained the original voting and management provisions.
Without it, Patricia couldn't obtain control through a fraudulent transfer.
But if someone gained access to both documents, they could attempt to manipulate the trust administrator.
"Who has the second certificate?"" I asked.
Michael checked the file.
"An independent trustee named Jonathan Pierce.""
"Where is he?""
Michael hesitated.
"I haven't spoken to him in over a year.""
Rebecca suddenly stood.
"Wait.""
She opened her briefcase again.
"I know that name.""
She pulled out a printed email.
"Patricia sent me this two weeks ago. She claimed Jonathan Pierce had agreed to help her resolve the inheritance dispute.""
Michael read it.
His expression hardened.
"That's impossible. Jonathan would never agree to that.""
Rebecca showed him the sender's address.
It was a private email account.
Then she opened the attachment.
It contained a scanned letter supposedly signed by Jonathan.
The letter authorized Patricia to access the trust records.
Michael stared at it.
"Another forgery.""
I looked at him.
"Then where is Jonathan?""
He reached for his phone.
"I'll call him.""
He dialed.
No answer.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Then a text message arrived.
Michael read it.
His face changed.
"What is it?"" I asked.
He turned the phone toward us.
The message came from Jonathan's number.
Do not call me again. The matter has been settled.
I felt my stomach drop.
"Settled how?""
Michael immediately called the trustee's office.
A receptionist answered.
After a brief conversation, she confirmed that Jonathan had resigned from his position three days earlier.
Three days.
The same day Patricia had sent Emily the forged documents.
Michael asked where Jonathan had gone.
The receptionist said he had relocated overseas.
I stared at the table.
Patricia wasn't simply trying to steal money.
She was systematically removing every person who could stop her.
My father had died.
The original attorney was being pressured.
The trustee had disappeared.
Emily's apartment had been broken into.
And now Michael's identity had been used to authorize a fraudulent agreement.
I looked at Rebecca.
"Can she actually take the trust?""
Rebecca shook her head.
"Not legally. But if she convinces the wrong financial institution that the paperwork is legitimate, she may be able to move money before anyone catches it.""
Michael picked up his phone again.
"I'm contacting the bank and requesting an immediate restriction on all trust transactions.""
Then his office phone rang.
He answered.
"Michael Reeves.""
He listened.
His expression changed.
"You're certain?""
Another pause.
"Send me the information immediately.""
He hung up.
"What happened?"" I asked.
"Someone just attempted to withdraw $800,000 from the trust.""
My heart stopped.
"Did it go through?""
"Not yet. The bank flagged the transaction because the authorization documents contain inconsistencies.""
I exhaled.
"Then we can stop it.""
Michael shook his head.
"There's a problem.""
He showed me the transaction record.
The withdrawal request had been submitted under the name of the authorized trust administrator.
Jonathan Pierce.
But the destination account belonged to a company registered in the Cayman Islands.
Its director was listed as Patricia Thompson.
I felt my stomach turn.
Then Michael pointed to the final line.
*Secondary authorization: Sarah Thompson.*
My name.
My signature.
My phone number.
I shook my head.
"I never authorized that.""
"I know.""
But the bank had one more piece of information.
A recorded telephone authorization.
Michael played it.
A woman's voice answered the security questions.
She sounded exactly like me.
She even used the nickname my father had called me as a child.
Then the recording ended.
Rebecca looked horrified.
"How could someone imitate her voice?""
I stared at the screen.
Because suddenly I remembered something.
Daniel had installed a voice assistant on my laptop two years earlier.
He had asked me to record several sentences so it could recognize my voice.
I had trusted him.
I had sat in my office and repeated everything he requested.
My phone vibrated.
A new message appeared.
It was from Daniel.
Sarah, I know you're investigating. But you need to understand that Mom has already moved the money.
A second message followed.
And if you want to know who made that call pretending to be you, ask Vanessa.
Then a final message appeared.
She's the only person who knows where the original recordings are.
I looked at Michael.
"Where is Vanessa?""
He immediately reached for his phone.
But before he could dial, another notification appeared.
A live location request.
From Vanessa.
May you like
And the message beneath it contained only six words.
Please help me. Patricia is here.
