Chapter 5 - THE SIGNATURE
The insurance application contained my signature.
It looked almost perfect.
Almost.
My father taught me to sign contracts slowly.
Claire Hale.
The C always leaned forward.
The forged signature leaned backward.
Dana zoomed in.
“This was copied from another document.”
“Which one?”
“We need to find out.”
I thought about every paper Brandon had access to.
Taxes.
Trust forms.
Property documents.
Medical records.
Then I remembered Margaret.
Three months earlier, she had asked me to sign a foundation anniversary letter.
She insisted on keeping the original.
I called Dana.
“That’s where they got it.”
The next day, Dana found another problem.
The policy listed a medical exam I never took.
A private clinic had submitted the report.
The physician was Dr. Andrew Mercer.
Margaret’s cousin.
The report claimed I was healthy.
No major conditions.
Ideal underwriting risk.
Twenty million dollars.
I felt sick.
“Could Brandon collect if I died?”
“Yes.”
“Even if the signature was forged?”
“Not legally.”
She paused.
“But if nobody challenged it quickly enough, he could certainly try.”
That was the moment the affair stopped mattering.
I no longer cared who Brandon slept with.
I cared whether my husband had built a financial incentive for my death.
Dana told me to contact police.
I wanted more proof first.
That decision almost killed me.
I began carrying a small audio recorder.
I backed everything up.
Cloud storage.
External drive.
USB.
Then I made one mistake.
I left a printed insurance application inside my locked desk.
Brandon found it.
I knew because the page was slightly crooked when I returned.
That night at dinner, he acted normal.
“Wine?”
“No.”
“How was your day?”
“Fine.”
Margaret joined us.
She kept looking at me.
Then she asked.
“Have you been sleeping well?”
I stared at her.
“Perfectly.”
She smiled.
“You look tired.”
Brandon changed the subject.
But I knew.
They knew I knew something.
The next morning, Dana called.
“Claire.”
Her voice was urgent.
“Do not go anywhere alone with Brandon.”
“Why?”
“I found a second insurance document.”
I stood.
“What?”
“This one isn’t active.”
“What is it?”
“A proposed increase.”
“How much?”
May you like
Dana inhaled.
“Fifty million.”
