Chapter 12: The Woman Who Had Been Helping My Father
Emmett arranged for a forensic document examiner to review the signatures.
He also requested the original loan application from Sterling Capital.
But before the afternoon was over, something unexpected happened.
Grandma received a phone call.
She listened silently.
Then her face changed.
“Who is this?”” she asked.
A woman's voice answered.
“Mrs. Overstreet, my name is Marissa Cole. I was the notary listed on the orchard transfer.””
Grandma looked at Emmett.
Marissa continued.
“I need to speak with Halley. There are things I should have said a long time ago.””
Emmett took the phone.
“This is her attorney. Please explain why you're calling.””
“I have the original notary journal.””
He straightened.
“Do you?””
“Yes. And I have a copy of the document Richard brought me.””
Emmett looked at me.
“Can you come to my office?””
Marissa agreed.
She arrived forty minutes later.
She was in her early forties, dressed in a gray business suit, with a large leather folder tucked under her arm.
She looked nervous.
“Thank you for meeting me.””
Emmett gestured toward a chair.
“Ms. Cole, we need you to be completely honest.””
She nodded.
“I understand.””
I looked at her.
“Did you witness me signing the orchard deed?””
“No.””
The answer came immediately.
I felt my chest tighten.
“Then why is your name on it?””
Marissa opened her folder.
“Richard brought me a document on October 14, 2020. He told me his daughter had already signed it and needed notarization.””
Emmett leaned forward.
“Did you personally verify her identity?””
“No.””
“Did you see her sign?””
“No.””
“Then why did you notarize it?””
Marissa looked down.
“Richard told me she was his daughter and that he was authorized to handle her legal affairs.””
I felt my hands curl into fists.
“Did he pay you?””
She hesitated.
“Not for the notarization.””
Emmett studied her.
“Did you receive any other benefit?””
Marissa finally opened another envelope.
Inside was a bank transfer receipt.
$8,500.
The sender was Richard Overstreet.
I stared at the number.
“What was that for?””
Marissa's voice trembled.
“He told me it was repayment for a personal loan.””
Emmett examined the date.
“October 15, 2020. The day after the document was notarized.””
Marissa nodded.
“I knew something was wrong. I just didn't want to get involved.””
Grandma's voice was cold.
“You helped him steal from my granddaughter.””
Marissa began crying.
“I know.””
She pulled out another document.
“This is why I came.””
It was a photocopy of the original notarization journal.
The entry for October 14 contained several handwritten notes.
One sentence stood out.
Signer absent. Richard Overstreet presented previously executed document.
Emmett read it twice.
“Did you write this?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I didn't want to forget what happened.””
He looked at her.
“You notarized a document without the signer being present?””
Marissa nodded.
“I made a terrible decision.””
I stared at the journal.
“You knew I wasn't there.””
“Yes.””
“You knew my father was using my name.””
“I suspected it.””
I stood.
“Suspected?””
Marissa flinched.
“I was told it was a family matter. Richard said you had agreed to the transfer and that your grandfather had approved everything.””
“That doesn't make it right.””
“I know.””
Emmett raised his hand.
“Halley, please.””
I sat down again.
Marissa opened the folder one final time.
“There is something else. Richard came back to my office in February 2021.””
Grandma looked up.
“Why?””
“He wanted me to notarize another document.””
“What document?””
Marissa took a breath.
“A beneficiary change form for Elwood's life insurance.””
The room went completely silent.
Emmett leaned forward.
“Did you notarize it?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because Mr. Overstreet was already deceased.””
Grandma grabbed the table.
“What?””
Marissa nodded.
“Richard told me his father had signed the document before dying. He wanted me to certify the signature afterward.””
Emmett's expression hardened.
“Did he show you the original?””
“No. He had a photocopy.””
“Did you keep a copy?””
Marissa nodded.
She placed another document on the table.
It was the same beneficiary change form Emmett had shown us earlier.
Except this copy contained something different.
A handwritten note in the upper corner.
Original signature unavailable. Use scanned copy.
I stared at the words.
My grandfather's signature had apparently been copied onto a document submitted after his death.
Grandma began sobbing.
Marissa wiped her face.
“I refused to notarize it. But Richard became furious.””
“What did he do?”” I asked.
“He told me that if I ever mentioned the document, he'd make sure I lost my notary license.””
Emmett closed the folder.
“Ms. Cole, we'll need your full statement and the original journal. You should also seek independent legal advice.””
She nodded.
“I understand.””
Then she looked at me.
“Halley, there's something else I haven't told you.””
I waited.
“Your father wasn't acting alone.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who helped him?””
Marissa hesitated.
“Someone from Sterling Capital was present when he brought the orchard paperwork.””
Emmett immediately looked up.
“Who?””
She opened her phone and showed us a photograph.
It was taken outside her office on October 14, 2020.
My father stood beside a man in a navy suit.
I recognized him immediately.
Daniel Mercer.
The same man who had approached me at the diner.
Grandma stared at the photograph.
“Why would someone from Sterling Capital be involved in the orchard transfer?””
Marissa swallowed.
“Because the orchard was being used as collateral for Richard's loan. They wanted the deed recorded before the financing deadline.””
Emmett slowly stood.
“Then Sterling Capital knew the ownership transfer was disputed.””
Marissa nodded.
“I heard them discussing it.””
I felt a chill move through me.
“They knew my signature wasn't verified?””
“Yes.””
Emmett picked up his phone.
“We need to preserve that photograph and contact Sterling Capital's legal department immediately.””
But before he could make the call, Grandma's phone rang.
The caller ID showed Richard.
She answered without speaking.
Dad's voice came through.
“Mom, I know you've been talking to Marissa.””
Grandma froze.
“How do you know that?””
“Because she just called me.””
Marissa looked horrified.
Dad continued.
“Listen carefully. You have until tomorrow morning to convince Halley to drop this.””
Grandma stood.
“Or what?””
“Or you'll lose the house.””
I felt my blood turn cold.
“What house?”” I whispered.
Dad heard me.
“The house your mother inherited. The one she's been living in for forty years.””
Grandma's face went white.
Richard continued.
“Remember the documents you signed after Dad died, Mom? The ones you said you didn't understand?””
Grandma slowly lowered herself into the chair.
Dad laughed quietly.
“You thought you were helping me with the estate.””
Emmett immediately motioned for her to put the call on speaker.
Dad's final words made my grandmother cover her mouth.
“You didn't just sign the orchard paperwork, Mom.””
He paused.
May you like
“You signed away your own house, too.””
And then the call disconnected.
