Chapter 5 - The signature
Emily stared at the screen.
“That isn’t my signature.”
Evan immediately answered.
“Yes, it is.”
She turned toward him.
I watched something change inside my daughter.
Fear remained.
But now there was anger beside it.
“I know my own signature.”
Thomas Reed tried edging toward the doorway.
Security stopped him.
Daniel began examining the files.
The invoices were spread across eighteen months.
Kitchen equipment.
Renovations.
Consulting services.
Food suppliers.
Maintenance contracts.
Ordinary expenses for a restaurant group operating dozens of locations.
Except several vendors had addresses that led to the same commercial mailbox.
Rachel looked up.
“These companies barely exist.”
“How much?” I asked.
“We need a full audit.”
“Estimate.”
She hesitated.
“Potentially several million.”
Gloria sat down.
Her wineglass shook against the table.
That was when I realized she had known something.
Maybe not everything.
But something.
Emily suddenly spoke.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“There’s something I didn’t tell you.”
Evan’s head snapped toward her.
“Emily.”
She ignored him.
“Two months ago, I found papers in his briefcase.”
“What papers?”
“I didn’t understand them. They had my name on them.”
Evan stepped forward.
“They were estate-planning documents.”
“No.”
Emily’s voice strengthened.
“You told me they were insurance forms.”
“They were.”
“Then why did Gloria tell me I had already signed them?”
Gloria stood.
“I never said that.”
Emily looked at her.
“Yes, you did.”
Lily began crying.
I lifted her into my arms.
Daniel slowly walked toward Emily.
“Do you remember what the documents looked like?”
“Some had the Hartwell logo.”
“Did you sign anything?”
Emily shook her head.
“Not knowingly.”
Daniel looked at Rachel.
“Search preserved files for Emily’s signature.”
She typed.
Ten seconds later, her expression changed.
“Found hundreds.”
Emily went pale.
Daniel turned the tablet away from her.
“Margaret, I think we need law enforcement.”
Evan laughed nervously.
“For expense reports? Come on.”
Daniel didn’t respond.
Instead, he pulled me aside.
“There’s another issue.”
“What?”
“The trust amendment.”
My stomach tightened.
“What amendment?”
“One was uploaded to the family office three weeks ago.”
“I didn’t authorize an amendment.”
“I know.”
Daniel looked toward Emily.
“It supposedly removes Lily’s protections and gives Emily’s spouse temporary financial authority if Emily is medically incapacitated.”
My blood went cold.
“Medically incapacitated?”
Daniel nodded.
Then Rachel spoke from behind us.
“You need to see the supporting document.”
She turned the tablet.
It was a physician’s letter.
Emily’s name appeared at the top.
Daniel read it twice.
May you like
Then looked at my daughter.
“Emily, has anyone recently tried to convince you that you were mentally unwell?”
