Chapter 8: The $175,000 Secret
"Your son received $175,000.""
The buyer's representative had barely finished speaking when Thomas took the phone from my hand.
"This is attorney Thomas Reed. Please provide your company name and the name of the person who authorized the transaction.""
The man hesitated.
"Why?""
"Because the property is held in a trust, and the purported transfer is disputed.""
"We have signed documentation.""
"Documentation signed by someone without legal authority.""
There was a long pause.
Then the man said, "I'll have our legal department contact you.""
He disconnected.
Thomas placed my phone on the table.
"We need to find out where that money went.""
I stared at him.
"Daniel received $175,000?""
"That's what the representative claims.""
"Then where is it?""
Thomas looked at Susan.
"Did Daniel have any outstanding debts?""
Susan shook her head.
"I wouldn't know.""
I remembered Robert's letter.
Daniel had been in financial trouble years ago.
But I had no idea how serious it had become.
Thomas opened the business registration record again.
"Bennett Property Solutions was formed six weeks ago. If they intended to use it to acquire your property, they may have established the company specifically for this transaction.""
"Who is the buyer?""
"The company listed on the purchase documents is called Northbridge Capital Holdings.""
I frowned.
"Is that a legitimate company?""
"It appears to be registered, but we need to investigate its ownership and business history.""
He called his investigator.
Within an hour, we had learned that Northbridge had purchased several distressed properties in Georgia.
But there was something unusual.
Three of those properties had been transferred through companies connected to the same document consultant.
Charles Whitmore.
The man who had appeared at my house the previous evening.
I leaned forward.
"He's involved in all of this?""
"We don't know the extent of his involvement yet," Thomas replied.
"But his name appears repeatedly.""
Susan shook her head.
"This is unbelievable. Daniel must have known what he was doing.""
I looked down.
"He knew.""
I remembered the way he had stood beside Tiffany while she destroyed my birthday celebration.
His silence.
His excuses.
The way he'd told me to apologize.
It hadn't been a sudden act of disrespect.
He had already decided that I was an obstacle.
My phone buzzed.
A text from Daniel.
*Mom, we need to talk privately. No lawyers. No police. Just family.*
I showed Thomas.
He considered it.
"Don't meet him alone.""
I typed back.
*You can come to my attorney's office tomorrow at ten.*
His reply arrived almost instantly.
*Tomorrow will be too late.*
I read it twice.
Then another message appeared.
*Tiffany is going to tell you everything. She doesn't want to be involved anymore.*
I looked at Thomas.
"He's blaming his wife.""
"Or she's preparing to turn against him.""
Twenty minutes later, a woman called from an unknown number.
It was Tiffany.
Her voice sounded completely different from the woman who had screamed at me in my backyard.
"Margaret?""
I didn't answer immediately.
"What do you want, Tiffany?""
She began crying.
"Please don't hang up.""
I looked at Thomas, who motioned for me to put the call on speaker.
"Go ahead.""
"I need to explain something.""
"Then explain.""
"Daniel told me everything would be legal. He said you had agreed to transfer the house.""
I closed my eyes.
"You were there when I refused to give you five thousand dollars.""
"I know.""
"You watched me refuse. You heard me.""
She sobbed.
"Daniel said you were going to change your mind.""
"Then why was my signature on documents I never signed?""
"I didn't know about that part.""
Thomas leaned closer to the phone.
"Mrs. Bennett, this is attorney Thomas Reed. Are you willing to provide a written statement about what you know?""
Tiffany went silent.
Then she whispered, "I can't. Daniel will destroy me.""
I felt a bitter laugh rise in my throat.
"Funny. You didn't seem worried about destroying me.""
She started crying harder.
"Please, Margaret. I made mistakes.""
I looked at the photograph of my ruined birthday cake on my phone.
My granddaughter had spent an hour making those flowers.
"Where is my jewelry, Tiffany?""
She stopped crying.
"What?""
"Lily told me you packed my jewelry into a box.""
A long silence followed.
Then Tiffany said, "Daniel took it.""
"Where?""
"I don't know.""
"You're lying.""
She took a shaky breath.
"Margaret, listen. Daniel has been meeting Rebecca for months. They told me they were going to sell your house, pay off some debts, and move us somewhere else.""
"Why would he need my house to do that?""
"Because he owes people money.""
"How much?""
"I don't know exactly.""
Thomas wrote something down.
I asked, "Where did the $175,000 go?""
Tiffany lowered her voice.
"Some of it went to a private lender. Some went to Rebecca.""
"How much?""
"I think sixty thousand.""
I stared at the table.
"Sixty thousand dollars to Rebecca?""
"She said she could arrange everything. She promised Daniel that once the property was transferred, nobody could challenge it.""
Thomas leaned forward.
"Did Rebecca prepare the power of attorney?""
"Yes.""
"Did she arrange the deed?""
"Yes.""
"Did she witness Margaret signing either document?""
Tiffany didn't answer.
Then she whispered, "Margaret never signed anything.""
The room went silent.
I felt tears slide down my cheeks.
Not because I was surprised.
Because I had just heard my daughter-in-law confirm that my own son had deliberately forged my signature.
"Why are you telling me this now?"" I asked.
"Because Daniel found out I called you.""
My stomach tightened.
"What happened?""
"He took my phone. He said if I talked to you again, he'd make sure I never saw Lily.""
I looked at Thomas.
He immediately reached for his notebook.
"Tiffany, are you safe right now?""
She began breathing quickly.
"I don't know.""
Then I heard a door slam.
A man's voice shouted in the background.
"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?""
Tiffany screamed.
The call ended.
I stood up.
"That's it. I'm going to the police.""
Thomas nodded.
"We'll provide them with everything we have.""
As he reached for the documents, my phone vibrated again.
This time, the message came from Lily.
It was a photograph of a small handwritten note.
*Grandma, Mommy says Daddy is taking me somewhere tonight. I don't want to go.*
Underneath it was a second sentence.
*He says I won't be allowed to see you again.*
I immediately called her.
No answer.
I called again.
Still nothing.
Then I noticed something in the background of the photograph.
A luggage tag.
The name of an airport hotel was printed across it.
And beneath the hotel name was a handwritten flight number.
May you like
Daniel wasn't simply planning to sell my house.
He was preparing to leave Atlanta with my granddaughter.
