Chapter 12 - The Man Behind the Loan
Aunt Lorraine arrived at the hospital forty minutes later carrying three things: her purse, a travel mug of black coffee, and the expression she usually reserved for people who were about to regret meeting her.
Our attorney, Rachel Kim, joined us through a secure video call from her office.
I spread Derek’s documents across a conference room table.
Rachel studied each scanned page as I uploaded it.
“Do not sign anything,” she said.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Do not call Mercer Development.”
“Also wasn’t planning to.”
“And absolutely do not call Derek.”
That one was harder.
I wanted answers.
Instead, I sat on my hands.
Rachel enlarged the notarization block.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“The notary is licensed.”
Aunt Lorraine leaned closer to the screen.
“Name?”
“Melissa Crane.”
“Do we know her?”
“No.”
Rachel typed rapidly.
“She works for a mobile notary service outside Philadelphia. No obvious connection to your father.”
“So how did she notarize my signature when I wasn’t there?”
“That,” Rachel said, “is the question that may turn this from family fraud into something much bigger.”
Sarah had taken Chloe to get something to eat, leaving the three of us alone.
I pointed to the loan amount.
“Why would anyone lend Derek six hundred forty thousand dollars?”
“They probably wouldn’t,” Lorraine said.
Rachel nodded.
“Exactly.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means we need to determine whether this was ever a real loan.”
Rachel explained that some fraudulent debt schemes worked backward. Instead of actually giving someone money, the lender created paperwork showing an obligation, then used forged collateral documents to pressure a supposedly responsible third party.
Me.
“So Gavin could be trying to steal the house without ever giving Derek the full loan?”
“Possibly.”
“But Derek knew.”
Rachel paused.
“He knew enough to prepare these documents for Chloe.”
That hurt more than I expected.
Derek had known my identity had been used.
Again.
He had known my home was being targeted.
Again.
And he had said nothing until he became afraid for himself.
My phone buzzed.
UNKNOWN NUMBER.
Aunt Lorraine looked at the screen.
“Don’t.”
I ignored it.
Thirty seconds later, a voicemail appeared.
Rachel said, “Put it on speaker.”
I played it.
A smooth male voice filled the room.
“Ms. Brooks, my name is Gavin Mercer. I believe you’ve recently received information regarding a private financial matter involving your brother. I’d strongly suggest we resolve this directly before lawyers complicate things. Your brother has created an unfortunate situation, but there is still a path that protects everyone. Call me.”
The message ended.
Aunt Lorraine smiled without humor.
“Well. That was stupid of him.”
Rachel was already writing.
“Save that recording in three places.”
I did.
Then another message arrived.
This time it was a photograph.
My house.
Taken from across the street.
Yesterday.
My blood went cold.
Under the image were seven words.
WE SHOULD TALK BEFORE THIS GETS UGLY.
Lorraine stood so abruptly her chair scraped backward.
“Call the police.”
Rachel agreed.
“Immediately.”
Within an hour, Detective Kowalski—the same investigator who had handled the original vehicle report—was sitting across from me.
He examined the photograph.
“This was sent after you declined his call?”
“Yes.”
“You know this man?”
“Never met him.”
Kowalski looked at the paperwork.
“Your brother involved?”
“I don’t know how much.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I swallowed.
“Yes.”
He nodded once.
“At least you’re not protecting him.”
“I’m done protecting adults from consequences.”
“Good.”
He took copies of everything.
Then he asked about my parents.
I described Chloe’s account of Richard arguing with Derek.
Kowalski’s expression hardened.
“Where are your parents living?”
I gave him the address.
He wrote it down.
The conference room door opened.
Sarah stepped inside.
She looked pale.
“Something happened.”
I stood.
“Chloe?”
“She’s fine.”
Sarah held out her phone.
“Derek called Liam.”
Liam was Derek’s eight-year-old son.
“What did he say?”
“Almost nothing. He told him he loved him. Then he told him to tell me he was sorry.”
My chest tightened.
“Where is Derek?”
“We don’t know.”
Sarah’s voice broke.
“He sounded scared.”
Kowalski rose.
“What number?”
“Blocked.”
“Did Liam record it?”
“No.”
“Exact wording?”
Sarah repeated it.
The detective immediately stepped into the hallway and began making calls.
I looked at Lorraine.
She looked worried now.
Actually worried.
Not for Derek’s pride.
Not for his finances.
For his life.
My phone buzzed again.
This time it was a text from Derek.
Three words.
DON’T TRUST DAD.
Then a second message appeared.
THE MONEY NEVER EXISTED.
A third followed.
GAVIN HAS EVERYTHING.
And then, before I could respond, Derek’s phone went dark.
The message showed undelivered.
Aunt Lorraine stared at the screen.
Rachel’s voice came through the laptop.
“Hannah?”
“Yes?”
“Whatever happened after Chapter One of this family nightmare, it isn’t over.”
I looked at the forged mortgage documents on the table.
May you like
“No,” I said.
“It just got bigger.”
