Chương 12
“And Brandon?”
“What?”
“Do not delete anything.”
His answer came immediately.
“I won’t.”
She ended the call.
Evan looked at her.
“You think Curtis planned this.”
Charlotte stared at the spreadsheet.
“I think I’m done guessing.”
Her phone buzzed.
A new email from Marisol appeared.
The subject line contained only four words.
Preliminary title results attached.
Charlotte opened it.
Her eyes moved down the first paragraph.
Then she stopped breathing for a second.
There were not one but two recorded instruments against the property.
One was the security document she had already seen.
The second had been recorded eleven days later.
Charlotte opened the attached image.
Her name appeared at the bottom again.
Another signature.
Another notarization.
This one was not signed by Gertrude.
Charlotte knew that immediately.
Because whoever had written her name this time had copied her current signature perfectly.
Charlotte enlarged the signature until the pixels began to blur.
The shape of the C, the shortened middle letters, and the hard final stroke were hers.
Not almost hers.
Hers.
Evan leaned across the table.
“What is it?”
Charlotte turned the phone facedown.
“Not yet.”
Hailey watched her expression.
“Charlotte.”
She picked the phone up again and called Marisol.
The attorney answered with, “You saw the second instrument.”
“Yes.”
“Do you recognize that signature?”
“It looks like mine.”
“Did you sign it?”
“No.”
“Did Gertrude?”
“I don’t think she could.”
Charlotte stared at the image again.
“Gertrude copied an old version of my signature.”
“This one is different?”
“It’s the way I sign now.”
Marisol was silent for a moment.
“Who has access to examples?”
Charlotte almost laughed.
“Half my life.”
“Be specific.”
“Brandon.”
“Anyone else in the family?”
“My employer has it on documents.”
“Physical documents at home?”
Charlotte looked toward the small desk in the living room.
“Insurance forms.”
“Tax returns?”
“Yes.”
“Mortgage correspondence?”
“Probably.”
“Checks?”
“We barely use them.”
“But you have them.”
“Yes.”
Marisol’s voice remained calm.
“Do not decide who wrote it based on appearance.”
“I’m not.”
“You are going to want to.”
Charlotte pressed her lips together.
“Yes.”
“The second document appears to subordinate or modify the earlier security position.”
“What does that mean in normal English?”
“It appears to give the lender additional rights.”
Charlotte felt her fingers go cold.
“What rights?”
“I want to read the full recorded copy before I characterize it.”
“You already have it.”
“I have an index image and partial pages.”
Charlotte stood and walked into the kitchen again.
“What could be worse than what I already saw?”
“Guessing.”
That irritated her because it was true.
Marisol continued.
“There is also a different notary.”
Charlotte stopped.
“Different?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Patricia Cole.”
Charlotte searched her memory.
Nothing.
“Do you know that name?”
“No.”
“Neither do I.”
“What date?”
Marisol told her.
Charlotte opened the calendar on her phone.
The date was a Saturday.
She had not been at work.
That was worse.
“Do you know where you were that day?”
Charlotte scrolled.
There was a dentist appointment for Skylar in the morning.
A grocery delivery in the afternoon.
Nothing else.
“I was probably home.”
“Probably is not evidence.”
“I know.”
“Check texts, photos, purchases, location history if you use it, anything that establishes your day.”
Charlotte looked toward the dining room.
Evan and Hailey were both pretending not to listen.
“Can you challenge these documents?”
“Yes.”
The answer came without hesitation.
Relief tried to rise and Marisol stopped it immediately.
“But challenge does not mean instantly erase.”
Charlotte leaned against the refrigerator.
“What happens while we challenge them?”
“That depends on whether enforcement has started and whether the lender responds appropriately once notified.”
“Appropriately.”
“I chose that word on purpose.”
Charlotte rubbed her eyes.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m preparing a preservation and dispute letter.”
“To Curtis?”
“To the entities identified in the instruments and their listed representatives.”
“Does that include Curtis?”
“Yes.”
“What about the notaries?”
“Separate issue.”
“And Brandon?”
Marisol paused.
“Have you decided whether you want me to communicate with him?”
Charlotte had not even considered that.
“He’s my husband.”
“I know.”
“That sounds ridiculous now.”
“It sounds legally relevant.”
Charlotte looked down at her wedding ring.
She had forgotten she was still wearing it.
“I don’t know what I want.”
“You don’t need to decide everything today.”
“I need to decide enough.”
“Yes.”
Marisol’s tone softened.
“Enough for today is different from everything.”
Charlotte removed the ring.
She did not do it dramatically.
Her finger was slightly swollen and the band caught at the knuckle.
She worked it loose with dish soap, rinsed it, dried it with a paper towel, then set it beside the coffee maker.
“I want you to contact him only about the property documents for now.”
“Understood.”
“Can I still talk to him personally?”
“You can.”
“Should I?”
“That is not a legal question.”
Charlotte looked at the ring.
“No.”
“It rarely is.”
When she returned to the dining room, Hailey saw her bare hand immediately.
She said nothing.
Evan pushed the spreadsheet closer.
“I found the email with the loan offer.”
“Forward it to your attorney.”
“I don’t have an attorney.”
“Then get one.”
He blinked.
“I’m not being sued.”
“Neither was I yesterday.”
Hailey looked at him.
“She has a point.”
Evan gave her a tired glance.
“I know.”
Charlotte sat.
“Did Curtis ever ask either of you for signatures from spouses?”
Evan shook his head.
“I’m not married.”
Hailey said, “Thank God.”
Evan ignored her.
Charlotte looked through his printed records.
“Did he ever ask for identification?”
“For the loan offer, yeah.”
“What kind?”
“Driver’s license.”
“Did you send it?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Email.”
Charlotte stopped.
“Did Brandon send Curtis identification?”
Evan looked uncertain.
“I don’t know.”
Charlotte called Brandon again.
He answered more slowly this time.
“What now?”
“Did you send Curtis a copy of my driver’s license?”
Silence.
Charlotte’s heartbeat changed.
“Brandon.”
“Yes.”
Hailey closed her eyes.
Evan stared at the table.
“When?”
May you like
“When we were doing the amendment.”
“Why did he need my license?”
