Chapter 5 - A Signature That Wasn’t His
By morning, Emily’s mother was awake.
Margaret Carter remembered Rebecca arriving with a box of pastries and several documents.
“She said your father needed to sign them before the bank closed,” Margaret explained.
“Did he?”
“I don’t remember.”
“What were the documents for?”
“A family protection trust.”
Emily’s stomach tightened.
Her mother looked ashamed.
“Rebecca said it would protect the house if one of us became ill. She said you and Daniel would not have to deal with court.”
“Did you agree to transfer the house?”
“No. At least, I don’t think we did.”
Emily took her mother’s hand.
“What happened after Rebecca arrived?”
“She made tea. Your father said it tasted bitter. Then I felt tired.”
“Did Rebecca drink any?”
Margaret closed her eyes.
“I can’t remember.”
Later that morning, Detective Morales arrived with a copy of a property filing submitted electronically less than one hour after the ambulance left the house.
The filing showed that the Carter home had been transferred into the Hale Family Asset Trust.
Rebecca Hale was listed as trustee.
At the bottom were the signatures of Robert and Margaret Carter.
Emily examined the page.
Her mother’s signature looked almost perfect.
Her father’s did not.
Robert Carter had signed his name the same way for forty years. He used blue fountain-pen ink and wrote the middle initial larger than the other letters.
The filed signature was black, clean, and shortened.
“That isn’t his signature,” Emily said.
Morales nodded. “We believe the original pages may have been replaced.”
“Then arrest her.”
“We need evidence connecting her to the altered documents and the substance in the mugs.”
“She was there.”
“Rebecca says she left before they drank anything.”
Emily stared at the detective.
“She knows the camera is offline.”
“She mentioned that during her interview.”
Emily felt a cold realization settle over her.
May you like
Rebecca had not merely noticed the broken camera.
She had counted on it.
