Chương 11
Evelyn’s voice lowered.
“The condo purchase and bridge facility were intended to close together.”
“That still requires acquisition funds.”
“Yes.”
“The one hundred fifty thousand Claire stopped?”
“Part of them.”
Claire felt a pulse begin behind her eyes.
“Where was the rest coming from?”
Another hesitation.
“An account I was told belonged to Ryan.”
“How much?”
“Three hundred thousand.”
Claire looked at Naomi.
Naomi had gone still.
“What account?” Claire asked.
“I don’t have the full number in front of me.”
“Bank?”
“First Colorado.”
Claire knew of no account Ryan held there.
“Source of funds?”
“Verified through statements.”
“Can you describe the account?”
“Personal investment account.”
Claire laughed again, but there was no humor in it.
“Ryan doesn’t have three hundred thousand dollars.”
Evelyn did not respond.
Naomi’s fingers resumed moving over the keyboard.
“Did the statement have Ryan’s name?”
“Yes.”
“Only Ryan’s?”
“Yes.”
Claire sat down slowly.
The possibility arrived before either woman said it.
Another forged document.
Another account represented as his.
Maybe one of hers.
Maybe Grant’s.
Maybe Brooke’s.
Evelyn added, “There’s something else you need to understand.”
Claire looked at the phone.
“Go ahead.”
“The condo title was supposed to be held by an LLC.”
“What LLC?”
“Eighty Seven North.”
Naomi searched.
The business registry loaded.
She clicked once.
Twice.
Then her mouth tightened.
“Registered agent is Evelyn Moore.”
Claire stared at the phone.
Evelyn spoke quickly.
“That’s standard for some of my client structures.
I use a formation service through my office.”
Naomi read the filing.
“Organizer is your office.”
“Yes.”
“Manager is listed as R.M. Holdings.”
Claire felt nausea rise.
“What’s that?”
Naomi searched again.
Then stopped.
The next filing showed Ryan Mercer as manager.
Evelyn said quietly, “That was part of why I called.”
Claire stared at Ryan’s name.
“And EM?”
Silence.
“What?”
“The messages Brooke saw.
Initials E.M.”
Naomi looked sharply at the phone.
Evelyn inhaled.
“Oh.”
Claire’s chest tightened.
“Oh what?”
“That was me.”
Claire stood so fast the chair scraped.
“You said you weren’t having an affair.”
“I’m not.”
“Then what did Ryan mean by a place where nobody could tell you how to live?”
Evelyn was silent for several seconds.
“That message was not romantic.”
“Then explain it.”
“It was about Grant.”
Claire did not understand.
Evelyn continued.
“Ryan told me he was trying to separate financially from his father.
He said Grant controlled everything he did through business obligations and debt.”
Claire closed her eyes.
Of course Ryan had a version where he was trapped.
“He told you he needed a condo to escape his father?”
“No.
The condo was supposed to be an asset outside Grant’s reach once the refinancing stabilized the Lakewood project.”
Naomi interrupted.
“That makes little sense if the condo itself secures the bridge.”
“Initially it was supposed to be released after the refinance.”
“Assuming everything went perfectly.”
“Yes.”
“And if it didn’t?”
Evelyn was quiet.
“Then the fund could foreclose.”
Claire looked through the window at a delivery truck inching past parked cars.
A man in a reflective vest carried boxes into the house across the street.
The world kept doing small, comprehensible things.
“I want to know why you said nobody could tell you how to live,” Claire said.
Evelyn answered slowly.
“Because Ryan told me Grant monitored his finances.
He said Grant decided which projects he took, who he worked with, how much he spent.
I told him he was an adult and could walk away.”
Claire almost smiled at the absurdity.
“And he said?”
“He said walking away would bankrupt everyone.”
There it was again.
Everyone.
A word Ryan used when he meant himself and Grant.
“What did you tell him?”
“That he couldn’t solve coercion with more leverage.”
Naomi gave Claire a glance that said she liked Evelyn slightly more now.
Claire did not.
Not yet.
“Did Ryan ever mention using my money?”
“No.”
“Did he mention my assets?”
“Yes.”
Claire’s jaw tightened.
“How?”
“He said you were supportive but preferred not to be involved directly.”
“Did that strike you as odd?”
Evelyn sighed.
“In hindsight, yes.”
“That is not an answer.”
“At the time, not enough.”
Claire felt anger rise.
Not explosive.
Heavy.
“You handled documents using my financial statements without ever contacting me.”
“Yes.”
“You accepted a guarantee with my signature without seeing me sign it.”
“Yes.”
“And you never thought to call?”
“No.”
Evelyn’s voice had gone flat with shame.
“I should have.”
Claire said nothing.
For once, nobody rushed to comfort the person admitting failure.
Naomi broke the silence.
“What exactly has been submitted to Alpine Crest?”
“The guarantee.
Ryan’s financial package.
The purchase contract.
Lakewood project statements.
Insurance binders.
The escrow instructions.”
“Can the closing still occur?”
“Not with the wire stopped.
And not if I withdraw certification.”
“Will you?”
“Yes.”
Claire looked at the phone.
“Why?”
“Because the police showed me a photograph of the document you say you did not sign.”
“That’s not enough by itself.”
“No.”
Evelyn paused.
“Ryan also called me twenty minutes ago.”
Claire’s pulse quickened.
“What did he say?”
“He told me there was a family dispute and you might claim some signatures were unauthorized.”
Naomi stopped moving entirely.
“He anticipated that?”
“Yes.”
“What else?”
“He told me not to speak to you.”
Claire almost laughed.
“And then you called.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he asked me to backdate a consent email.”
Nobody spoke.
Claire gripped the edge of the table.
Naomi’s voice became very quiet.
“Say that again.”
“He wanted me to create an email showing that I had confirmed Claire’s consent before the guarantee was submitted.”
“Did such an email ever exist?”
“No.”
“Did you do it?”
“No.”
“Did you record the request?”
“No.”
Claire’s disappointment must have carried through the silence because Evelyn added, “But he texted me afterward.”
Naomi stood.
“What did the text say?”
“I can forward it.”
“Do not edit it.
Do not screenshot only the message.
Preserve the entire thread.”
May you like
“I know.”
“Forward a copy to me and tell Detective Ortiz you have it.”
