Chapter 36 - Patricia Refuses to Leave
The Harbor Crest representative made one tactical error.
He underestimated Patricia Hart.
By the time Claire and Evan reached her cottage, two police cruisers were parked outside.
Not because Patricia had called them.
The representative had.
Apparently, Patricia had refused to leave the porch and had activated her sprinkler system while he stood on the lawn.
The man was soaked.
Patricia sat calmly in a wicker chair drinking iced tea.
Evan got out of the car.
“Mom.”
“He trespassed.”
“You sprayed him.”
“My grass was dry.”
It had rained that morning.
Claire kissed Patricia’s cheek.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m insulted.”
Good.
Insulted was manageable.
Terrified would have been worse.
A uniformed officer approached.
“Mr. Hart?”
“Yes.”
The officer handed Evan a photocopy.
“This gentleman says title transferred six weeks ago following a default under a residential equity agreement.”
Evan scanned the page.
“I never signed this.”
The signature looked convincing.
Claire examined the notary section.
“Who witnessed it?”
A Rhode Island notary named Lindsey Cole.
Luis, who had arrived behind them, immediately searched the name.
“License suspended eight months ago.”
Claire looked at the Harbor Crest representative.
“Who hired you?”
The man raised both hands.
“I’m a field contractor. I serve notices.”
“For Harbor Crest?”
“For a law office.”
“Which?”
He gave them the name.
Brenner Pike & Lowe.
Marcus called from Providence.
“I know them.”
“Good lawyers?”
“No.”
“How bad?”
“Technically skilled. Morally flexible.”
Patricia smiled.
“I already dislike them.”
Within an hour, the eviction was stayed.
But Evan remained unusually quiet.
He walked through the cottage checking windows, locks, documents.
Patricia noticed.
“Stop.”
“I’m checking things.”
“You’re panicking.”
“I’m not.”
“You were a terrible liar at eight and remain one at forty-eight.”
Claire looked away to give them privacy.
Patricia touched Evan’s arm.
“This house is not me.”
“I bought it for you.”
“And I love it.”
“They forged my name.”
“Yes.”
“They could have thrown you out.”
“But they didn’t.”
“Because Claire has twenty lawyers.”
Patricia smiled.
“Useful woman.”
Evan laughed despite himself.
Then his eyes became wet.
“I should have caught this.”
Claire turned.
There it was.
The old instinct.
If something bad happened, Evan believed he had failed to prevent it.
Claire walked toward him.
“You didn’t cause this.”
“I know.”
“You couldn’t predict it.”
“I know.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
He looked at her.
“Someone forged my name because of you.”
The sentence hurt.
Evan immediately regretted it.
“Claire—”
“No.”
She stepped back.
Patricia became very still.
Evan rubbed his face.
“That came out wrong.”
“It came out honestly.”
“I’m angry.”
“At me?”
“No.”
“Then choose your words.”
He nodded.
“You’re right.”
Grant arrived twenty minutes later with documents requested by Marcus.
He felt the tension instantly.
“I can come back.”
Patricia looked at him.
“You’re Grant?”
He stopped.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She studied him from shoes to forehead.
“So you’re the idiot.”
Grant blinked.
Evan covered his mouth.
Claire nearly choked.
Grant finally said, “That narrows it down less than you might think.”
Patricia pointed at a chair.
“Sit.”
He did.
Within fifteen minutes she had extracted the entire Sloane story from him.
When he finished, Patricia said, “You helped start this?”
Grant looked uncomfortable.
“Indirectly. Years ago, I created relationships that eventually—”
“No speeches.”
He sighed.
“Yes.”
“And now you’re helping?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Grant thought carefully.
“Because being ashamed of who I was is useless if it doesn’t change what I do next.”
Patricia considered him.
“That’s almost intelligent.”
“Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
Claire smiled.
Then Patricia placed the fraudulent deed on the table.
“This is your evidence.”
Claire frowned.
“We already have copies.”
“No.”
Patricia pointed to the legal description.
“I read my closing papers.”
Evan looked surprised.
“Of course I did.”
She tapped one line.
“My property description includes the old utility easement behind the cottage.”
Claire read it.
The forged document did not.
Patricia smiled.
“They copied the wrong deed.”
Marcus, on speakerphone, became excited.
“If the forged document uses the prior parcel description, then they didn’t get the information from county records.”
“Where did they get it?” Evan asked.
Claire knew.
“The original purchase file.”
Evan had bought Patricia’s house through a private closing.
Only a handful of people had seen that earlier draft.
One was the mortgage broker.
Another was the title attorney.
A third was the financial adviser who had arranged the payment.
Claire searched the name.
Her stomach dropped.
The adviser now worked for Sloane Urban Renewal.
Patricia raised her iced tea.
“There.”
Everyone looked at her.
“What?”
She smiled.
“The thread.”
Claire nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
May you like
Patricia’s forgery had not merely attacked their family.
It had given them the first direct bridge into Malcolm’s operation.
