Chương 10
She looked at Naomi.
Naomi had already opened a new document on her laptop.
“What can I do today?” Claire asked.
Ortiz answered carefully.
“Preserve evidence.
Avoid direct confrontation.
Follow your attorney’s advice on property and financial access.
And take care of yourself medically.”
Claire nearly said she was fine.
The habit rose automatically.
She stopped it.
After the call ended, Naomi said, “Because the penthouse is solely yours and Ryan is not on the deed, we have options, but marriage and residency make this more complicated than changing a lock.”
“I don’t want complicated.”
“I know.”
“I want him gone before tonight.”
Naomi met her eyes.
“That may not happen exactly the way you want.”
Claire looked away.
Reality had procedures.
Ryan had used that fact against her financially.
Now she would have to respect it anyway.
Her phone rang one more time.
Unknown number.
Claire almost ignored it.
Something made her answer.
“Claire Bennett?”
“Yes.”
A woman’s voice.
Professional.
Tense.
“My name is Evelyn Moore.”
Claire’s fingers went cold at the initials.
EM.
“I think you need to know why Ryan Mercer was buying that condo.”
Claire did not answer immediately.
Naomi watched her face and quietly closed the laptop.
“How did you get my number?” Claire asked.
Evelyn exhaled.
“Ryan gave it to me months ago for emergencies.”
Claire almost laughed.
“What kind of emergency?”
Another pause.
“The kind he said would never happen.”
Claire moved away from the table and stood near the window.
Morning had fully arrived now, thin winter light flattening the rooftops across the street.
“Are you sleeping with my husband?”
Naomi’s eyes lifted.
Evelyn did not answer quickly enough.
Claire closed her eyes.
“Okay.”
“No.”
Claire opened them.
“No?”
“I’m not sleeping with him.”
“Then tell me what you are doing with him.”
Evelyn sounded as if she were choosing each word before releasing it.
“I was working with Ryan and Grant.”
Claire’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Doing what?”
“I’m a mortgage broker.”
Naomi immediately stood.
Claire turned on speaker.
Evelyn continued.
“Ryan came to me about financing for the Lakewood project last year.”
“What does that have to do with the condo?”
“More than I understood at first.”
Claire pressed the phone against the table.
“Start there.”
Evelyn hesitated.
“I can’t discuss confidential client documents freely.”
Naomi leaned toward the phone.
“This is Naomi Feld, counsel for Claire Bennett.”
A silence followed.
Then Evelyn said, “That makes this easier and worse.”
“Why did you call?” Naomi asked.
“Because police just contacted me.”
Claire felt the room narrow again.
“About Ryan?”
“Yes.”
“What did they ask?”
“Whether I had handled financing involving Front Range Development Partners, Ryan Mercer, Grant Mercer, or Claire Bennett.”
Claire pulled out a chair.
“And?”
“I told them yes.”
Naomi’s voice stayed controlled.
“Did Claire ever communicate with you directly?”
“No.”
“Did you ever witness her sign anything?”
“No.”
Claire stared at the table.
“Then why is my name on a guarantee?”
Evelyn made a quiet sound that might have been frustration.
“Because Ryan told me you signed it electronically after reviewing it with your attorney.”
Naomi’s expression sharpened.
“He told you that?”
“Yes.”
“Did he identify me?”
“No.
He said your family attorney.”
Claire looked at Naomi.
“Convenient.”
Evelyn continued.
“The signature packet came from Ryan’s email with supporting financial statements attached.”
“Whose financial statements?” Claire asked.
“Yours.”
The word fell heavily.
Claire stood again because sitting had become impossible.
“My actual statements?”
“I believed they were.”
“Believed?”
“There were redactions.”
Naomi took over.
“Did you verify account ownership independently?”
“I verified balances through documentation provided by the borrower.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Evelyn’s breathing changed.
“No.”
Naomi said nothing.
Evelyn rushed to fill the silence.
“This was not supposed to be structured the way it became.
Initially, the Lakewood property had enough equity projected after renovation to support refinancing.”
“Projected by Grant?” Claire asked.
“By an appraisal and contractor estimates.”
“Who was the contractor?”
A longer pause.
“Grant’s company.”
Claire looked at Naomi.
Naomi wrote something down.
“Of course.”
Evelyn continued.
“Construction costs increased.
The timeline slipped.
Then subcontractors filed notices because they weren’t being paid on time.”
Claire frowned.
“Grant told everyone the project was ahead of schedule.”
“It wasn’t.”
“How far behind?”
“Months.”
Claire remembered Grant bragging at Thanksgiving that he had buyers already waiting.
Brooke had rolled her eyes.
Ryan had changed the subject.
Clue after clue, all of it banal enough to ignore.
“Why the Aspen condo?” Claire asked.
Evelyn was silent.
“You called me specifically about that.”
“I know.”
“Then answer.”
“The condo was collateral.”
Claire blinked.
“For what?”
“A private bridge loan.”
Naomi leaned closer.
“From whom?”
“I don’t know the beneficial owner.”
“You brokered financing without knowing the lender?”
“I know the fund.”
“What fund?”
“Alpine Crest Capital.”
Naomi typed quickly.
Claire waited.
Evelyn said, “They lend against high-value property and other pledged assets.
Fast closings.
Expensive terms.”
“How expensive?”
“I’m not discussing rate sheets.”
Claire almost snapped.
Naomi held up a finger.
“What was the purpose of the bridge?”
“To satisfy obligations tied to Lakewood and replace funds Ryan said had been temporarily advanced by family.”
Claire’s throat tightened.
“Advanced.”
“That was the word used.”
“My money.”
“Yes.”
“You knew it was my money?”
“Not until this morning.”
Claire laughed once.
“Then what did you think family meant?”
“Grant.”
That surprised her.
“Grant?”
“Ryan represented that Grant had temporarily injected personal capital into the project and wanted it returned.”
Claire looked at Naomi.
“They inverted it.”
Naomi nodded.
Ryan had taken Claire’s money and apparently described it to lenders as Grant’s contribution.
Grant became the benefactor.
Claire disappeared.
“Why was the condo needed?” Naomi asked.
Evelyn said, “The fund required additional collateral because the Lakewood valuations no longer supported the requested loan amount.”
Claire stared at the Aspen listing still open in one of Naomi’s browser tabs.
“So Ryan was buying a million-dollar condo to borrow money against it.”
“Not exactly.”
May you like
Naomi stopped typing.
“What does that mean?”
