Chapter 8: The Woman Waiting Outside the Law Office
Dad noticed the SUV first.
He checked the rearview mirror twice, then changed lanes.
The vehicle changed lanes, too.
"Is someone following us?"" Madison asked from the back seat.
"Probably nothing," Dad replied.
But he took the next exit, drove through a gas station, and circled back toward the highway.
The SUV followed.
My fingers tightened around the garment bag resting on my lap.
"Should we call the police?""
"Not yet," Dad said.
"Let's see whether it continues.""
He drove into a busy shopping center and parked beside a grocery store.
The SUV passed us.
For a moment, I thought we'd imagined the whole thing.
Then it turned around at the next intersection and came back.
A woman sat behind the wheel.
She wore dark sunglasses and held a phone against her ear.
Dad's expression hardened.
"Stay in the car.""
He stepped outside and walked toward her vehicle.
The woman immediately lowered her phone.
I couldn't hear what they said through the glass, but I saw Dad point toward our car, then gesture toward the SUV.
The woman shook her head.
A few seconds later, she started the engine.
Dad stepped back.
She drove away.
When he returned, Madison leaned forward.
"Who was she?""
"Claire Donovan.""
My mouth went dry.
"Why was she following us?""
"She says she wasn't. She claims she recognized the car and wanted to speak with me.""
"About what?""
Dad looked toward the road.
"She wouldn't tell me.""
He started the engine.
"We're going straight to the attorney's office.""
The office occupied the fourth floor of a brick building near downtown Atlanta. Inside, the reception area smelled of coffee and printer toner.
A receptionist led us into a conference room where a woman in her fifties waited beside a stack of files.
"I'm Rachel Bennett," she said, shaking Dad's hand.
"Your attorney sent me the documents. I've reviewed what we have so far.""
She glanced at me.
"Emily, I'm sorry you're dealing with this. We'll take it one step at a time.""
Dad sat beside me.
Madison took the chair across from us, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
Rachel opened a folder.
"First, we need to separate what we know from what we suspect. We know money was transferred from Emily's savings account. We know some of those funds were used for purchases and payments that weren't authorized by Emily. We also have a document that appears to contain her signature.""
She placed a copy on the table.
"An attorney will need to review the original records, but there are serious questions about how this document was prepared.""
Dad pointed to the witness certification.
"Claire says she didn't witness the signature.""
"Then we need to verify that directly.""
Rachel opened another folder.
"This is where things become more complicated. The divorce filing includes a financial declaration from Vanessa. It states that she used personal funds to pay for certain expenses and that Michael agreed to reimburse her.""
Dad frowned.
"I never agreed to that.""
"I understand. The declaration also identifies a separate property as her intended residence after the separation.""
She turned the page.
The address was unfamiliar.
But the purchase deposit was listed as $18,000.
Paid from a bank account that had received transfers from my college savings.
I stared at the number.
"She bought a house?""
"Not necessarily," Rachel replied.
"The records suggest she paid a deposit or reservation fee. We need the underlying agreement to determine exactly what she purchased.""
Dad rubbed his jaw.
"How could she make these transfers without my knowledge?""
"That depends on how the accounts were set up. We'll request the bank's transaction history and determine who had access.""
Madison suddenly spoke.
"Can I ask something?""
"Of course," Rachel said.
"Why would my mother put Emily's name on the wedding dress receipt if she knew she was using Emily's money?""
Rachel paused.
"Sometimes people use another person's information to conceal the source of funds. But we shouldn't assume that's what happened until we have the complete records.""
Madison looked down.
"She told me the dress was a gift from Michael.""
Dad's face tightened.
Rachel continued reviewing the paperwork.
Then she stopped at a page near the back.
"This is interesting.""
She turned the document toward us.
It was an authorization allowing Vanessa to act on behalf of a person named Emily Carter in certain financial matters.
The document was dated almost a year earlier.
My signature appeared at the bottom.
I stared at it.
"I've never seen that.""
Dad leaned forward.
"Does it give her access to the account?""
"Potentially, depending on the scope of the authorization and the bank's procedures. We need to see the original and determine whether it was accepted by the institution.""
"But I never signed it," I repeated.
Rachel nodded.
"Then we'll need to establish how the document was created and submitted.""
She made a note.
"Emily, do you remember signing any financial paperwork when you were seventeen?""
I searched my memory.
There had been school forms, medical forms, and documents Vanessa said were needed for a college planning program.
One afternoon, she'd sat me at the dining table with a thick stack of papers.
"Just sign where I put the sticky notes," she'd said.
"It's for your future.""
I'd been exhausted after a shift at the diner.
I'd signed several pages without reading every line.
My stomach twisted.
"I might have signed something she gave me," I admitted.
"But I never gave her permission to take my money.""
Rachel nodded.
"That distinction matters. We'll need to examine exactly what you signed, if anything.""
Dad reached for my hand.
"We'll sort it out.""
Rachel closed the folder.
"There's one more issue. Vanessa's attorney has requested that all parties attend a preliminary conference tomorrow morning.""
"Tomorrow?"" Dad asked.
"Yes. The filing requests temporary financial arrangements while the divorce proceeds.""
Dad frowned.
"She's trying to freeze my accounts?""
"She's asking the court to preserve certain assets. Whether the request is granted is another matter.""
I looked at him.
"Can she take our house?""
"No one is taking our house today," he said firmly.
Rachel added, "We need to prepare a clear account of the transactions and challenge any false statements. Don't contact Vanessa about the legal documents. Let your attorney handle communications.""
As we gathered our things, Rachel handed Dad a business card.
"Call me immediately if anyone contacts you about changing your testimony or signing additional paperwork.""
Madison went pale.
"Why would anyone do that?""
Rachel's expression remained professional.
"Because when money and legal disputes overlap, people sometimes make poor decisions.""
We left the office shortly before noon.
Outside, a woman stood near the building's entrance, holding a large envelope.
Vanessa.
She wore a cream coat and sunglasses, her hair perfectly arranged.
When she saw me, she smiled as if we were meeting for lunch.
"Emily, sweetheart. I've been looking everywhere for you.""
Dad stepped in front of me.
"Don't.""
Vanessa ignored him.
"I just want to talk to my daughter.""
"You had all night to talk to her.""
She extended the envelope toward me.
"I brought something for you.""
I didn't take it.
"What is it?""
"An agreement. If you sign it, we can put all this behind us.""
Dad snatched the envelope before I could reach for it.
"Absolutely not.""
Vanessa's smile vanished.
"You haven't even read it.""
"I don't need to.""
Her voice dropped.
"Michael, if Emily refuses to cooperate, things are going to get very ugly.""
Dad stared at her.
"Is that a threat?""
"It's a warning.""
She looked past him directly at me.
"You think you're the only person who's been hurt here? You have no idea what your father has been hiding from you.""
My breath caught.
Dad's face changed.
"Vanessa, walk away.""
She stepped backward, but her eyes never left mine.
"Ask him why he really opened that college account, Emily.""
Then she turned and walked toward the parking lot.
I watched her disappear into the crowd.
The envelope trembled in Dad's hand.
"What did she mean?"" I asked.
He didn't answer.
He simply opened the envelope, scanned the first page, and went completely still.
"What is it?"" Madison asked.
Dad folded the document.
"It's an agreement requiring Emily to withdraw her objections to the financial transfers.""
"And if I don't?"" I asked.
He looked at me.
"She intends to use the divorce proceedings to make the situation as difficult as possible.""
"That's not what I meant.""
I swallowed.
"Why did she say you were hiding something about my college account?""
Dad looked toward the street where Vanessa had disappeared.
For the first time since the dress was destroyed, he seemed unable to find the right words.
May you like
And that frightened me more than anything Vanessa had said.
Because if my father knew something about the account that he hadn't told me, then the truth I'd been fighting for might be more complicated than I'd imagined.
