Chương 14
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
“I was trying to figure out whether my wife had done something criminal.”
The word landed heavily.
Sarah sat back down.
I looked at Richard.
“Did Elaine notarize the deed?”
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
David swore.
Sarah shook her head.
“No.”
Richard closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
“No.”
Sarah stood again.
“Dad, no.”
“She notarized it.”
“She wouldn’t.”
“She did.”
“Mom wouldn’t forge Hannah’s signature.”
Richard looked at her.
“She didn’t.”
The room went still.
I stepped closer.
“Explain.”
Richard’s face changed.
Shame.
Deep, old shame.
“She thought you had signed it.”
I stared at him.
“How?”
“Sarah brought her the document.”
Sarah’s head snapped toward him.
“That is not what happened.”
Richard looked at her.
“You brought the deed to the house.”
“I brought forms.”
“You told her Hannah had signed before leaving for work.”
Sarah’s face drained.
David whispered, “Sarah.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Richard continued.
“You said Hannah couldn’t come in person because of the clinic.”
“That is not true.”
“You said she had already agreed.”
“I said David was handling it.”
“You said Hannah signed.”
“I don’t remember saying that.”
Richard’s voice rose.
“I do.”
The heart monitor quickened.
A nurse appeared at the doorway.
“Mr. Whitmore, we need to keep you calm.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
She looked at all of us.
“If this is upsetting him, it needs to stop.”
Richard shook his head.
“No.”
“Sir.”
“I’m finishing.”
The nurse looked at Sarah.
Sarah said, “It’s okay.”
The nurse did not look convinced.
She adjusted something on the IV pump and left the door open.
Richard waited until she was gone.
“Elaine notarized the signature because she believed Hannah had already signed.”
Evelyn asked, “Was Hannah present?”
“No.”
“So Elaine violated notary procedure.”
“Yes.”
“Even if she thought the signature was genuine.”
“Yes.”
Richard’s mouth tightened.
“She knew better.”
I thought of Elaine slapping Sarah in the waiting room.
What did you do?
At the time, I had heard a mother blaming a daughter for an accident.
Now it sounded different.
“What happened after the loan funded?”
Richard looked at me.
“I didn’t know then.”
“When did Elaine tell you?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“Why?”
“She was scared.”
“Of what?”
“Sarah’s parents’ money.”
David’s voice sounded raw.
Richard corrected himself.
“Our money.”
He looked at David.
“The two hundred thousand.”
“What about it?”
“She realized why Sarah had been pushing us to sell.”
Sarah stood again.
“I was not pushing you.”
“You sent us three listings for buyers.”
“They were agents.”
“You scheduled the appraisal.”
“You wanted to move.”
“We wanted to downsize.”
Richard’s voice hardened.
“We did not want to hand you two hundred thousand dollars to pay off a loan secured by Hannah’s house.”
David looked at Sarah.
“You told them?”
“No.”
Richard answered for her.
“She didn’t.”
David turned to him.
“Then how did you know?”
“Elaine found a lender letter.”
Sarah sat down slowly.
“What letter?”
“A default notice.”
Her mouth opened.
Richard continued.
“You left it in a folder with the renovation estimates.”
“I never showed her that.”
“No.”
“She went looking.”
Sarah looked stunned.
“My mother went through my things?”
Richard gave her a tired look.
“You went through Hannah’s property records.”
That stopped her.
I almost admired the efficiency.
Almost.
Richard looked toward me.
“Elaine confronted Sarah.”
“When?”
“Last week.”
Sarah’s expression changed.
David saw it.
“You didn’t tell me.”
She looked at him.
“I was going to.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Apparently that’s our family motto.”
Richard continued.
“Elaine told Sarah we weren’t giving them the money until the lien was explained.”
I looked at Sarah.
“So the two hundred thousand disappeared.”
“It was never guaranteed.”
“But you were counting on it.”
She said nothing.
Richard looked at me.
“That’s why the renovation suddenly accelerated.”
Sarah turned on him.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“You needed the house ready.”
“I wanted Mom and Dad out of the hotel.”
“You needed them committed.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You don’t know everything.”
“I know enough.”
“That’s what everyone keeps saying.”
Her voice cracked.
“I was trying to keep David’s business alive.”
David’s face hardened.
“Stop saying that like I asked you to do all this.”
“You took the money.”
“Yes.”
“You signed the documents.”
“Yes.”
“You cashed the checks.”
“Yes.”
“You let me handle everything because you didn’t want to know how ugly it was.”
He went quiet.
That one landed.
Sarah stood.
“You got to be ashamed.”
She pointed at him.
“I got to fix it.”
“Nobody asked you to impersonate my mother.”
“You didn’t stop me.”
“I didn’t know about the call.”
“You knew enough.”
David looked as though she had slapped him.
Richard closed his eyes.
I watched them both and felt no satisfaction.
Just exhaustion.
Evelyn touched my arm.
“We should go.”
Richard opened his eyes.
“Wait.”
He looked at me.
“There’s something else.”
Sarah made a sound that was almost a laugh.
“Of course there is.”
Richard ignored her.
“The lien isn’t the only reason Elaine left.”
I looked toward the empty chair where she had been earlier.
“Where did she go?”
“I think she went home.”
“To Philadelphia?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“To get the original journal.”
Evelyn stepped closer.
“What journal?”
“Her notary journal.”
My attention sharpened.
“Does she keep one?”
“Yes.”
“Did she record my supposed acknowledgment?”
Richard looked ashamed again.
“Yes.”
“Even though I wasn’t there?”
“Yes.”
“What does the entry say?”
“I only saw part of it.”
“What part?”
“Your name.”
He swallowed.
“And an identification number.”
I felt cold.
“What identification?”
“Driver’s license.”
“My license?”
He nodded.
“How would Elaine have my driver’s license number?”
Richard looked at Sarah.
Sarah’s face emptied.
David turned toward her slowly.
“Sarah.”
She did not answer.
“Where did you get Mom’s license?”
“I never had her license.”
Richard said, “You had a copy.”
“No.”
“You showed it to your mother.”
“That was not Hannah’s license.”
“What was it?”
Sarah looked cornered.
May you like
“A scan.”
“Of what?”
