Chapter 5 - THE DEAD MAN’S SIGNATURE
Robert stood so fast his chair fell backward.
“That’s Frank’s signature.”
Michael stared at the page.
His father, Frank Callahan, had died after a heart attack nine years earlier.
Yet there was his name beneath a transfer authorization dated February 12 of this year.
Robert grabbed the document.
“This can’t be real.”
“It isn’t,” Rachel said.
“Someone reproduced it.”
Diane folded her arms.
“You’re accusing me of forgery now?”
Rachel looked directly at her.
“I haven’t accused anyone.”
“You don’t have to.”
Michael finally spoke.
“Where did you get Dad’s old signature files?”
Diane froze for half a second.
That was enough.
Michael walked toward her.
“Mom.”
“Everyone in the company had access.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“When Dad died, the original corporate files were moved here.”
He looked around the house.
“You insisted on keeping them.”
Diane’s face hardened.
“Because your father built that company.”
“Did you forge his signature?”
“No.”
“Did you forge Claire’s?”
“No.”
“Did you take money from our account?”
“No.”
Three answers.
Too quick.
Too clean.
Rachel pulled another sheet from the folder.
“Then somebody went to a lot of trouble to make it look like you did.”
For the first time, Diane seemed relieved.
“What does that mean?”
Rachel slid over a bank authorization form.
“The transfers were approved online from an IP address registered to this house.”
Every eye turned toward Diane.
She stared at Rachel.
“You little bitch.”
Rachel didn’t flinch.
“Thank you for confirming I’m close.”
Diane stepped forward.
I moved between them.
Her gaze dropped to my cheek.
Still red from where she had hit me.
Something almost like satisfaction returned to her expression.
“You people came into my home and turned my own family against me.”
“No,” Michael said.
His voice was quiet.
“You did that.”
Diane looked at him.
He pointed to the table.
“I want the truth about Lauren.”
“I already told you.”
“No.”
Michael swallowed.
“You told me you paid her to leave.”
He looked terrified to ask the next question.
“Was she pregnant with my child?”
Diane didn’t answer.
Michael’s voice cracked.
“Was she pregnant?”
Robert whispered, “Diane.”
She closed her eyes.
I thought she might deny it again.
Instead she said five words.
“I did what was necessary.”
Michael stumbled backward.
Nobody misunderstood.
He covered his mouth.
“Oh, my God.”
Diane opened her eyes.
“You were twenty-four.”
“You knew.”
“She would have ruined everything.”
“You knew I had a child.”
Diane’s composure finally broke.
“You had a future.”
Michael shouted so loudly Emma began crying upstairs.
“And he was my future too!”
Silence crashed through the room.
Then Rachel said the one thing that made everything worse.
“Michael.”
He turned.
Rachel’s face had gone pale.
May you like
“I found him.”
*
