Chapter 6 - Madison’s Mistake
Ethan and Madison did not go directly to the police station.
They went to a hotel.
Police learned this because Madison used a company card to book the room, even though the leadership conference had ended the previous day.
By noon, Bellweather Capital’s compliance director was calling Clara.
His name was Samuel Price.
“Mrs. Mason, I apologize for contacting you during what I understand is a difficult situation,” he said. “We received a fraud-verification request involving one of our document systems.”
Clara sat across from Natalie in the living room.
“What system?”
“Our legal archive. It appears that someone accessed a scanned court order belonging to a former client.”
Clara exchanged a look with Natalie.
“The divorce order?”
Samuel became quiet.
“You are aware of it?”
“My husband used a fake divorce order to marry his coworker.”
Samuel exhaled.
“I need to refer this matter to our legal department.”
“Was Ethan able to access the document?”
“He had limited client access because of his management position.”
“What about Madison Hale?”
Another pause.
“Ms. Hale assisted with a digital-records migration last quarter.”
Clara understood.
Madison may not have been an innocent woman deceived by a married man.
She may have helped create the document.
At one fourteen, Madison called.
Her voice shook.
“Clara, I need to speak to you.”
“My attorney is here.”
“I don’t care. Put me on speaker.”
Clara did.
Madison began talking quickly.
“Ethan told me you had agreed to a private divorce. He said you didn’t want anyone to know because of your business.”
“That was a lie.”
“He showed me an order.”
“A forged order.”
“I didn’t know it was forged.”
Natalie leaned forward.
“How did Ethan obtain it?”
“I don’t know.”
“That isn’t what Bellweather’s records suggest,” Natalie said.
Madison stopped breathing for a moment.
Then she whispered, “What records?”
“You accessed the original client file.”
“I was working on migration.”
“And did you send a copy to Ethan?”
Madison began crying.
Not loudly. Not dramatically.
It was the frightened sound of someone watching a carefully planned future collapse.
“He said he only needed a formatting example,” she admitted. “He said his lawyer’s version looked unprofessional.”
Clara felt no sympathy.
“Did you help him change the names?”
“No.”
“Did you see the altered version?”
“Afterward.”
“And you still married him?”
“He told me the official order had already been processed.”
Natalie’s voice remained firm.
“Did you sign any property documents?”
Madison did not answer.
Clara stood.
“Madison.”
“He said the house was his after the divorce,” she whispered. “He said you agreed to transfer it because he had supported you while you built your company.”
“That house belonged to me before I met him.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You visited it. You asked whether the mortgage was paid.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“Did you sign anything?”
Madison’s answer came in fragments.
“A witness form. For the property transfer. Ethan said your signature had already been notarized.”
Clara’s stomach turned.
A false divorce was only one part of the plan.
The home-equity application required a property-transfer document.
Ethan had apparently forged Clara’s signature on that too.
“What was the money for?” Clara asked.
Madison began to say she did not know.
Then someone pounded on her hotel-room door.
A man announced himself as a police detective.
May you like
Madison gasped.
The call ended.
