Chapter 3 - THE VOICE ON THE RECORDING
Howard did not tell Loretta about the phone call immediately.
He wanted proof before he accused his son or future daughter-in-law of something serious.
The following morning, he called Naomi Chen, the attorney who had managed the Miller Family Trust for seventeen years.
“Did your office record the call?”
“All trust calls are recorded,” Naomi replied.
“Send it to me.”
“I can’t send a private recording through ordinary email.”
“Then bring it.”
Naomi arrived at the Miller home that afternoon carrying an encrypted tablet.
Loretta sat beside Howard in his office while Naomi opened the file.
The recording lasted two minutes and fourteen seconds.
A woman’s voice introduced herself as Loretta Miller.
She knew Howard’s date of birth, the apartment address, the trust identification number, and the exact date the ownership restriction would expire.
The voice sounded calm and educated.
It did not sound like Loretta.
The caller asked whether the apartment could be transferred early if both Howard and Loretta signed an emergency authorization.
Naomi’s assistant had explained that a transfer might be possible in cases involving medical necessity, relocation, or a family restructuring.
The caller then asked a more important question.
“Would the signatures require in-person verification?”
Naomi paused the recording.
Howard looked at Loretta.
Loretta felt cold.
“Play the rest.”
The assistant told the caller that an approved digital notary could verify the signatures remotely.
The woman thanked her and ended the call.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Naomi closed the recording.
“Only a few people have access to that trust identification number.”
“Who?” Loretta asked.
“You, Howard, Austin, and our internal legal team.”
Howard stood and walked to the window.
“Austin downloaded three documents last week.”
Naomi looked sharply at him.
“What documents?”
“The apartment file, an emergency transfer authorization, and a copy of the trust signature page.”
Loretta pressed one hand against the arm of her chair.
“He wouldn’t forge our signatures.”
Howard did not turn around.
“You just heard someone pretending to be you.”
“That doesn’t mean Austin knows.”
Naomi placed the tablet on the desk.
“We should freeze all transfer authority immediately.”
Howard nodded.
“Do it.”
Loretta looked between them.
“What happens if Austin is innocent?”
“Then the freeze protects him too,” Naomi said.
Howard returned to his chair.
“I’m also removing his access to the company document system.”
“That will humiliate him.”
“He will survive humiliation.”
Loretta thought of Austin sitting beside Brittany in the restaurant, signing papers without asking questions.
“We should speak to him first.”
Howard’s expression softened.
“And what will you ask?”
“The truth.”
“You think he’ll give it to you?”
“He’s our son.”
“That is not an answer.”
Naomi gathered her files.
“I recommend that neither of you mention the recording yet. Let the person behind this believe the trust is still accessible.”
Loretta frowned.
“You want to set a trap.”
“I want to identify the threat.”
After Naomi left, Howard sat in silence.
Loretta touched his hand.
“Do you believe Austin is trying to steal the apartment?”
Howard looked older than he had that morning.
“I believe Austin wants something badly enough to stop asking whether he has the right to take it.”
That night, Loretta called her son.
He did not answer.
She left a message asking him to visit the next day.
Five minutes later, Brittany returned the call from Austin’s phone.
“He’s busy.”
“I need to speak with him.”
“You can tell me.”
“No. I need my son.”
Brittany’s voice became colder.
“We’re six weeks from the wedding. He has other responsibilities now.”
Loretta looked toward the dark windows of the living room.
“Did you call the trust office pretending to be me?”
There was a pause.
Then Brittany laughed.
“That’s a strange question.”
“It has a simple answer.”
“No, Loretta. I did not.”
“Did Austin?”
Another pause.
“You should be careful,” Brittany said. “Suspicion can destroy families.”
“So can dishonesty.”
Brittany ended the call.
Loretta remained seated with the phone in her hand.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
It contained a twelve-second audio file.
Loretta pressed play.
She heard Brittany’s voice.
“Once the apartment is transferred, Howard can’t control us anymore.”
Then Austin answered.
May you like
“What happens if he finds out?”
The recording ended before Brittany replied.
