Chương 6
She leaned against the doorframe.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Harold frowned.
“About what?”
“Anything.”
“That’s a broad question.”
“Tonight seems broad.”
He breathed through his nose.
“I met with a lawyer in March.”
Rachel straightened.
“What lawyer?”
“Local man.”
“About the Northline loan?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“That if I hadn’t signed it, I should challenge it.”
“And did you?”
“No.”
Rachel stared at him.
“Why not?”
Harold looked through the window at Mark.
“Because it would have meant reporting him.”
Rachel felt cold despite the coat.
“You knew the signature was forged in March.”
“I suspected.”
“Enough to talk to a lawyer.”
“Yes.”
“And then you did nothing.”
“I told Mark to fix it.”
Rachel laughed in disbelief.
“You told the person who forged the loan to fix the forged loan.”
“He said he would refinance.”
“And when he couldn’t?”
“I thought he would find another way.”
“He did.”
Harold closed his eyes.
Rachel stood away from him.
She suddenly understood why Mark had looked toward their father after the slap.
Not because he expected rescue.
Because he expected recognition.
Harold had known enough.
Not about the sale, perhaps.
But enough that his outrage was not clean.
Rachel went back inside.
Mark looked up.
“You knew Dad talked to a lawyer?”
His face answered before his mouth did.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“March.”
“And he told you to fix it.”
“Yes.”
“What exactly did that mean?”
“Refinance. Sell equipment. Sell part of the acreage. Anything that cleared Northline without putting this in court.”
“And you tried?”
“I sold two machines. Paid down my business debt so I could qualify for a bank loan.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Income wasn’t strong enough.”
“So then Daniel appeared.”
“I found him.”
Daniel had not appeared at all.
Mark had searched public property databases, called developers, preservation groups, hotel operators, and private buyers. Most wanted the land, not the station. Daniel wanted the building.
“He offered four twenty,” Mark said. “I negotiated four.”
Rachel frowned.
“You negotiated down?”
“He agreed to preserve the station, but he wanted a lower price because of the condition.”
Harold came inside.
“You sold my house for twenty thousand less so a stranger would promise not to tear it down.”
Mark looked at him.
“Yes.”
Something complicated moved through Harold’s face.
Daniel returned ten minutes later.
“My attorney says nobody should move anything.”
Mark nodded.
“Fine.”
“He also says I should call the sheriff.”
Harold’s jaw tightened.
Rachel asked, “Are you going to?”
Daniel looked at Mark.
“I haven’t decided.”
Mark said, “You should.”
Rachel turned sharply.
Mark met her eyes.
“What?”
“You don’t get to become noble now.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re acting like confessing is a substitute for fixing it.”
“I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Then stop pretending surrender is the same thing.”
Daniel put the envelope down.
“I need the sale funds returned.”
Mark gestured toward the table.
“I have eighty-four.”
“And the other three hundred sixteen?”
“Northline has most of it.”
Daniel looked at Harold.
“If the deed is voided, I lose the property and have to chase a lender for money it received in payoff.”
Rachel said, “And Mark may owe you the difference.”
“Mark may owe a number of people a number of things.”
Mark gave a humorless smile.
“That part sounds right.”
Daniel sat again.
“My attorney also asked whether title insurance was issued.”
“Was it?” Rachel asked.
“Yes. But a fraudulent signature can turn into a long fight over who knew what, who relied on what, and whether the closing process missed warning signs.”
He looked at Mark.
“Did anyone at closing ever speak to Harold?”
“No.”
“How did you handle identification?”
Mark’s eyes dropped.
Rachel felt her stomach tighten again.
“What?”
Daniel’s voice became colder.
“What did you provide?”
“A copy of Dad’s license.”
Harold’s head jerked up.
“Where did you get that?”
“Your desk.”
“You went through my desk?”
“I’ve been paying your insurance for two years. I’ve had copies of everything.”
“That is not permission.”
“No. We passed permission a while ago.”
Rachel rubbed her forehead.
“Was the deed notarized?”
Mark nodded.
“How?”
He hesitated.
Daniel’s expression changed.
“Mark.”
“It was done remotely.”
Rachel did not know enough to ask the right legal questions, which made her hate the situation even more.
“By who?”
“Notary service.”
“Did you appear as Dad?”
Mark said nothing.
Daniel stood.
“You impersonated him on a video call?”
“It wasn’t video.”
Daniel stared at him.
Mark corrected himself.
“Not live video.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I submitted identification and signed through the process they gave me.”
Daniel’s face had gone pale.
Rachel said, “Stop.”
Nobody did.
Daniel reached for his phone.
Rachel stepped between them.
“Give me one minute.”
“For what?”
“To think.”
“You can think while I call the police.”
“I know.”
She turned to Mark.
“If Daniel calls tonight, what happens?”
“I tell the truth.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Mark shrugged.
“They come. They take statements. Maybe they arrest me.”
Harold said, “No.”
Everyone looked at him.
Daniel’s voice was quiet.
“You don’t get to say no.”
“I’m not talking to you.”
“You should be.”
Harold ignored him.
Rachel looked at her father.
“Why no?”
“Because we can resolve this without police.”
Daniel laughed once.
“This is the second time tonight somebody in your family has explained what I should do with something that belongs to me.”
Harold flinched.
Daniel leaned forward.
“My money. My decision.”
Rachel nodded.
“He’s right.”
Harold looked at her.
“Rachel.”
“No. He is.”
She turned toward Daniel.
“But if your attorney says there may be title coverage, and if the funds can be traced, then calling tonight may not improve your chances of getting paid back by morning.”
Daniel studied her.
“What are you suggesting?”
“Nothing illegal.”
“That is an encouraging opening.”
“I’m suggesting we freeze what we can freeze.”
Rachel looked at Mark.
“The eighty-four thousand does not move.”
May you like
“It wasn’t going to.”
“You call the bank and put a restriction on outgoing transfers if they can do that.”
