Chapter 6: The Man Who Came Looking for Karen
Dad called the number back.
It went straight to voicemail.
He tried again, then lowered the phone and stared at Karen.
“Who was that?””
Karen stood motionless beside the kitchen doorway.
“I don't want to discuss this in front of the children.””
Dad gave a short, humorless laugh.
“You've been using my daughter's identity, putting our house at risk, and apparently taking money from people I don't know. We're well past having a private conversation.””
“Daniel, please.””
“Who is he?””
Karen rubbed her forehead.
“His name is Victor.””
“Victor what?””
“Victor Hale.””
Dad looked at the name he'd written on the back of the statement.
“You borrowed money from him?””
“No.””
“Then why does he say you owe him sixty-five thousand dollars?””
Karen's eyes flickered toward the front window.
“Because he helped me with a business investment.””
“What business?””
She swallowed.
“I invested in a company that was supposed to buy and renovate rental properties.””
Dad stared at her.
“You told me you were helping your sister sell handmade furniture online.””
“That was a different thing.””
“When were you planning to tell me about this?””
“When I had something to show for it!””
Dad shook his head.
“You put our home up as collateral for a secret investment, Karen. You don't get to decide that the risk only matters once the money disappears.””
I sat at the kitchen table, trying to process everything.
A second mortgage. A fraudulent loan. An account opened in my name. Thousands of dollars sent to strangers.
It felt as if our house had become a room full of trapdoors, and every time I looked down, another one opened.
Madison came into the kitchen and sat beside me.
She didn't touch the laptop she'd brought downstairs.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered.
I stared at the table.
“Why didn't you tell me when you first found out?””
“Because Mom said she'd lose the house. She said Dad would divorce her, and we'd have nowhere to go.””
“So you let her keep taking my money?””
Madison's eyes filled.
“I thought she could fix it.””
I wanted to tell her that wasn't good enough.
Instead, I asked, “Did she ever say why she needed the laptop?””
Madison shook her head.
“She said I deserved something nice because I'd had a hard year.””
I almost laughed.
Madison had spent the summer at home, swimming at a friend's pool and watching television while I worked double shifts.
But then I remembered the way she'd looked when she first saw the laptop. She'd believed her mother had bought it as a gift.
“I didn't know it was your money,” she said.
“Not until you showed me the receipt.””
I looked at her.
“Would you have said anything if I hadn't found out?””
She opened her mouth, then lowered her eyes.
That silence hurt more than I expected.
Dad returned to the kitchen with the blue folder.
“Madison, I need you to tell me everything you remember about the bank papers.””
She took a shaky breath.
“Mom kept them in her bedroom. Sometimes she worked on them after midnight. I heard her talking on the phone about transfers and verification codes.””
“Did you hear any names?””
“Rick. Victor. And someone named Elaine.””
Dad wrote each name down.
“What about the account?””
Madison rubbed her palms against her jeans.
“Mom said it was a temporary account. She said the money would be moved before anyone noticed.””
“Moved where?””
“I don't know.””
Dad looked at Karen.
“Do you?””
Karen sank into a chair.
“I never meant for Hannah to be involved.””
I felt something hot rise in my chest.
“You put my name on a loan for twenty-eight thousand dollars!””
“I thought I could pay it off before you turned eighteen.””
“That doesn't make any sense!””
Karen pressed her fingers against her temples.
“Victor said the investment would return the money in thirty days. I only needed a short-term loan. Then the property deal collapsed, and he demanded more money to release the funds.””
Dad's eyes narrowed.
“Release what funds?””
“The money I'd already invested.””
“How much did you send him?””
Karen didn't answer.
Dad struck the table with his palm.
“How much?””
“Thirty-eight thousand.””
I stared at her.
“Thirty-eight thousand dollars?””
“It was supposed to be temporary!””
“Where did you get that much money?”” Dad demanded.
Karen's face crumpled.
“Some of it came from the house loan. Some came from the account in Hannah's name. Some came from the money I borrowed against the other account.””
Dad pulled a chair out and sat down heavily.
For the first time, he looked exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with construction shifts or sleepless nights.
“Karen, how much debt have you created?””
She covered her face.
“I don't know.””
The answer was so quiet that I almost didn't hear it.
Dad stared at her.
“You don't know?””
“I stopped counting when Victor said the investment could still be saved.””
I looked toward the staircase. The house suddenly felt unfamiliar, every picture frame and piece of furniture tainted by a secret I hadn't known existed.
Then Dad's phone buzzed.
A text message had arrived from the unknown number.
*Your wife has until Friday at noon. After that, I come to collect what I'm owed.*
Dad read it twice.
“What does he mean by collect?””
Karen stood so quickly that her chair scraped across the tile.
“He can't come here.””
“Why not?””
“Because he knows where we live!””
Dad's expression changed.
“Of course he knows where we live. This is the address on the loan documents.””
“No,” Karen whispered.
“You don't understand.””
She looked at me.
Then at Madison.
Then back at Dad.
“Victor knows Hannah works at the diner. He knows when she finishes her shifts. He knows what time she walks home.””
My skin went cold.
Dad stood.
“Why would he know that?””
Karen began crying again.
“Because I gave him her schedule.””
For a moment, I couldn't hear anything except the pounding of my heart.
“You what?””
“I thought he wanted to verify the address. He said he needed to know you were a real person because the account was in your name.””
“You gave a stranger my work schedule?””
“I didn't know he'd use it like this!””
Dad grabbed his keys.
“Where are you going?”” Karen asked.
“To the police.””
She rushed toward him.
“Daniel, wait! If you report this, Victor will know I talked!””
Dad stepped away from her.
“You should have thought about that before you dragged my daughter into your mess.””
He turned to me.
“Hannah, get your shoes. You're coming with me.””
I hurried toward the front door, but before I reached it, a sharp knock echoed through the house.
Everyone froze.
Three more knocks followed.
Dad moved in front of us.
“Stay behind me.””
He opened the door just a few inches.
A tall man in a dark jacket stood on the porch, holding a manila envelope.
He glanced past Dad and looked directly at me.
“Hannah Miller?””
Dad blocked his view.
“Who are you?””
The man smiled without warmth.
“Victor Hale. I'm here to settle a debt with your wife.””
He held up the envelope.
“Inside are the documents proving exactly where the money went.””
Dad didn't take it.
“Then hand them to the police.””
Victor's smile widened.
“I was hoping you'd say that.””
He placed the envelope on the porch and stepped backward.
“But before you call anyone, Daniel, you might want to check the last page.””
Then he looked at me one final time.
“Your name is on it, sweetheart. And so is your father's.””
Victor walked down the steps and disappeared around the side of the house.
Dad picked up the envelope.
His hands were steady until he opened it.
Inside were copies of bank transfers, a list of account numbers, and a document bearing both our names.
He read the first paragraph.
Then he looked at me with an expression I'd never seen before.
“What's wrong?”” I whispered.
Dad turned the page toward me.
The document wasn't a loan agreement.
It was a guarantee.
And beneath our signatures was a clause stating that if the debt wasn't paid by Friday at noon, the lender could pursue the property listed as collateral.
Our home.
But the signature beneath my name wasn't the only thing that made my blood run cold.
The guarantee had been witnessed and notarized three weeks earlier.
On a day when I had been at work.
And the notary's name was someone I knew.
Someone who had eaten dinner at our table.
May you like
Someone who had called me family.
*My stepmother had not acted alone.*
