Chapter 13: The Original Document
“Michael, there's something I need to tell you.””
Diane's voice came through my phone just after ten that night. She sounded frightened, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I heard something in her voice that made me stop thinking about Daniel and start thinking about the woman I'd once married.
“Is Olivia safe?”” she asked.
“She is. She's with me and Robert.””
“And Madison?””
I hesitated.
“We haven't found her yet.””
Diane drew a shaky breath.
“Then I need to tell you about the storage unit.””
I sat forward.
“What storage unit?””
“The one I mentioned earlier. The unit where I kept the boxes from our divorce. I went there this afternoon after you called, and some of the boxes were missing.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Did you report it?””
“Not yet. I wanted to speak to you first.””
“Diane, why?””
“Because the missing boxes contained the original closing documents from the house we sold when we divorced.””
I stared at Robert.
He immediately opened his notebook.
“Which house?”” I asked.
“The house we bought together before Olivia was born.””
I remembered it clearly. A two-story brick home with a white porch, a maple tree in the backyard, and a kitchen where Diane and I had once spent entire Sunday mornings making pancakes.
We sold it during the divorce and divided the proceeds according to our settlement.
There had been no dispute over ownership.
“Why would Daniel want those records?”” I asked.
“I don't know. But when I checked the storage unit, I found an envelope with my name on it. Inside was a note telling me to bring the original settlement documents to a meeting if I wanted Olivia to remain safe.””
My blood ran cold.
“Diane, did you go to the meeting?””
“No. I called the police instead.””
For the first time that night, I felt a surge of relief.
“Good.””
“The officer told me not to touch anything else. They photographed the unit and took the note.””
“What did it say?””
Diane paused.
“It said, 'The Carter property was never supposed to be yours alone.''”
Robert stopped writing.
I stared at the wall.
The Carter property.
My current house.
The property transfer agreement had claimed that I'd given Vanessa a fifty-percent interest six months after our wedding. But the document had been forged, and the date placed me in Chicago.
Now someone was claiming that the ownership of my house had been wrong from the beginning.
“Diane,” I said carefully, “did you ever have any ownership interest in my current house?””
“No. You bought it after our divorce. I remember because Olivia and I helped you choose paint colors when you first moved in.””
“Did you ever sign anything transferring an interest in it?””
“Never.””
“Did you ever give Daniel documents bearing my signature?””
“Absolutely not.””
Robert motioned for me to put the call on speaker.
“Diane, this is Robert Hayes, Michael's attorney. Do you have any reason to believe Daniel had access to your divorce records?””
“Yes. My sister helped me move those boxes into storage. She told me a few months ago that someone had called asking about old property documents, but she didn't know who it was.””
“Did she provide a name?””
“No. She thought it was someone from the storage company.””
Robert wrote something down.
“Would you be willing to provide a formal statement and cooperate with the investigation?””
“Yes. Anything to help find Madison and protect Olivia.””
After the call ended, Robert contacted Detective Bennett and shared the new information.
Within minutes, she called back.
“We've been looking at the forged documents,” she said.
“There's a possibility the people involved were trying to establish a false chain of ownership. If they could make it appear that someone else had a legitimate interest in the property, they might have been trying to use that claim to pressure Mr. Carter.””
“So they wanted to steal my house,” I said.
“That's one possibility. We haven't established the full purpose yet.””
I looked at the photograph of the list recovered from the storage unit.
PHASE TWO — CARTER FAMILY.
The word beside Madison's name still haunted me.
Leverage.
“Detective, what about Madison?””
“We have officers following the rental-property lead. We also have information suggesting Daniel may be communicating with someone who uses the name Mitchell.””
“D. Mitchell?””
“Yes. We're trying to establish the person's identity.””
After the call, I sat quietly.
Olivia was on the couch across the room, holding a blanket around her shoulders. She hadn't spoken much since the threatening message arrived.
I walked over and sat beside her.
“Your mother is cooperating with the investigation,” I told her.
She nodded.
“Do you think Daniel is going to hurt Madison?””
“I don't know, sweetheart.””
Olivia looked down at the blanket.
“She can be selfish. She can be cruel. But I don't want anything bad to happen to her.””
I put an arm around her.
“Neither do I.””
At midnight, Detective Bennett called again.
“We've located the rental property,” she said.
“Officers are coordinating their response.””
“Is Madison there?””
“We believe there's a strong possibility.””
I stood immediately.
“Can I come?””
“No. You need to remain available here. We'll contact you as soon as we have confirmed information.””
The next forty minutes felt longer than the previous six years.
I paced the office. Robert made calls. Olivia sat motionless, staring at her phone.
Then, at twelve forty-three, my phone rang.
Detective Bennett.
“Mr. Carter, we've located Madison.””
I closed my eyes.
“Is she alive?””
“Yes. She's physically safe and being evaluated by officers. She wasn't injured, but she's shaken.””
A sound escaped my chest that was half relief and half exhaustion.
“Where's Daniel?””
“He was not at the property when officers arrived. We're continuing to search for him.””
“Can I speak to Madison?””
“Not immediately. She needs time, and we'll need to conduct an interview.””
I understood.
“Please tell her we're glad she's safe.””
“I will.””
When I ended the call, Olivia burst into tears.
I pulled her close.
“She is safe,” I whispered.
“She's safe.””
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Then Robert's phone rang.
He listened, frowned, and put the call on speaker.
It was Detective Bennett again.
“There's one more development. Madison told officers that Daniel gave her a flash drive before she left the warehouse. She says it contains documents that may explain the forged property transfer agreement.””
My heart began pounding.
“Where is the flash drive?””
“Madison had it in her pocket. We've secured it as evidence.””
“What did she say was on it?””
The detective paused.
“According to Madison, the files show that Daniel was not the person who originally proposed the property scheme.””
I looked at Robert.
“Who was?””
“We don't know yet,” she replied.
“But there's a recorded conversation, and Madison says the person speaking is someone your family knows.””
The call ended.
I stood in the middle of the office, staring at the floor.
The loan application had been frozen. The fraudulent guarantee was under investigation. Madison was safe.
May you like
But the person behind the scheme was still out there.
And somewhere on that flash drive was a voice that could finally explain why someone had spent years trying to claim a house that had never belonged to them.
