Chapter 8 - the missing rent)
Daniel's commercial property was a small brick building on West Broad Street.
Three tenants occupied it.
A dentist.
An insurance office.
A bakery.
Daniel had inherited half from his grandfather and bought the remaining half from a cousin.
After his death, the building became part of Khloe's trust.
Rent went into a dedicated account.
Emily rarely reviewed it.
Daniel had always handled those details.
Saturday morning, she opened the account.
Something was wrong.
Income varied wildly.
One month showed twelve thousand dollars.
Another showed eight.
Another only six.
Emily found the leases.
Total monthly rent should have been fourteen thousand four hundred.
She called the bakery owner.
"Mrs. Walker?"
"Yes. Sorry to bother you. I'm reviewing property records."
"Of course."
"Have your rent payments been current?"
A pause.
"Yes."
"How much do you pay?"
The number matched the lease.
"How do you pay?"
"Electronic transfer. Same account for years."
Emily thanked him.
The dentist gave the same answer.
So did the insurance office.
Full rent had been paid.
But not all of it reached the trust.
Emily compared old account numbers.
Three months before Daniel died, rent deposits began routing through a management account.
Walker Property Services.
She searched state records.
The company had been dissolved after Daniel's death.
Its manager had been Tyler Walker.
Emily felt anger spread through her.
She downloaded two years of statements.
Over nine months, more than sixty thousand dollars had disappeared.
Daniel must have found it.
That was what scared him.
She called Tyler.
No answer.
Then she called Evan Price.
She found his number through an old business directory.
A man answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
"Evan Price?"
"Who's asking?"
"Emily Walker."
Silence.
Then a sigh.
"You finally figured it out."
"You're the messages."
"Yes."
"Why not call me?"
"Because Tyler checks phone records when he's scared."
"He doesn't control my account."
"No, but Ruth watches more than you think."
Emily looked around her car.
She was parked outside Sarah's house.
"Why help me?"
Evan laughed bitterly.
"Because I helped them first."
Emily closed her eyes.
"Tell me."
"I handled books for Tyler's garage."
"And Walker Property Services."
"Yes."
"You diverted rent."
"I recorded it."
"That's not what I asked."
Another silence.
"I moved money where Tyler told me."
"How much?"
"About sixty eight thousand."
"Where?"
"Some paid lenders. Some went to Ruth."
"Ruth knew?"
"She designed it."
Emily gripped the phone.
"Daniel found out."
"Yes."
"When?"
"Two days before he died."
Emily closed her eyes.
"What happened?"
"He came to the garage."
"Why?"
"He had traced missing rent."
"Did he threaten Tyler?"
"He threatened to report both of us."
"Ruth?"
"Tyler too."
"What did you do?"
"I begged him for twenty four hours."
"Why?"
"To get records together."
"Did he agree?"
"Sort of."
Evan exhaled.
"He told me if I gave him everything, he would tell prosecutors I cooperated."
Emily pictured Daniel.
Angry but practical.
Always giving people one last exit.
"Did you give him everything?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Ruth got to me."
Emily's stomach tightened.
"How?"
"She said Daniel would destroy Tyler, destroy me, and send her to prison."
"She was stealing."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"At first to cover Tyler."
"And later?"
"She started taking some herself."
Emily looked down at the trust records.
"Daniel changed Khloe's trust after finding this."
"I think so."
"Did Ruth know?"
"Not until after he died."
"How?"
"She searched his office."
Emily thought of the missing amendment.
"What did she find?"
"Copies of emails to his lawyer."
"So she knew she had been removed."
"Yes."
Emily's pulse quickened.
"Then why is she planning to become trustee Sunday if she knows the amendment exists?"
Evan was quiet.
"Because she thinks she destroyed every copy."
"She didn't."
"I figured."
"Commonwealth has one."
Evan laughed softly.
"For once Daniel's paranoia paid off."
"It wasn't paranoia."
"No."
His voice changed.
"It wasn't."
Emily asked the question she had been avoiding.
"Did Ruth have anything to do with Daniel's accident?"
Evan went silent.
Emily's heart pounded.
"Evan."
"I don't know."
"That's not an answer."
"I know she saw him the night before."
"Tyler said she didn't."
"Tyler lies."
"Where?"
"Daniel left Tyler's apartment around ten forty. Ruth's car was parked two blocks away."
Emily's throat tightened.
"How do you know?"
"I was there."
"Why?"
"I had brought records."
"You saw her?"
"Yes."
"Did Daniel?"
"I don't know."
"Did she follow him?"
"I don't know."
Emily pressed.
"What do you know?"
Evan's voice became strained.
"I know the next morning Daniel called me at seven twelve."
Emily stopped breathing.
Daniel died at approximately seven fifty.
"What did he say?"
"He said he had proof."
"Of the rent theft?"
"More than that."
"What?"
"He wouldn't say over the phone."
"Where was he going?"
"To meet his attorney."
Kessler.
Emily remembered Kessler saying Daniel had already amended the trust three weeks earlier.
Maybe he was going about the theft.
"What happened after the call?"
"Nothing."
"You didn't call him back?"
"I did at eight fifteen."
"After he was dead."
"I didn't know."
Emily stared at Sarah's house.
Khloe was inside eating cereal.
Safe.
For the moment.
"Why didn't you tell police?"
"Because I had stolen money."
"Why tell me now?"
"Because Ruth contacted me six weeks ago."
"What did she want?"
"Help transferring your house."
Emily's jaw tightened.
"I refused."
"After preparing some paperwork."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I realized she was doing it again."
"Stealing."
"Calling it family protection."
Emily looked down at her hands.
"Do you have records from Daniel?"
"I have one thing."
"What?"
"A copy of the spreadsheet he confronted us with."
"Send it."
"I will."
"And Evan."
"Yeah?"
"Come Sunday."
"No."
"Denise is coming."
Silence.
"She told you?"
"Everything."
Evan cursed softly.
"I can't."
"You can."
"Ruth will destroy me."
"She already has."
Emily waited.
Finally Evan said, "What are you planning?"
Emily looked through Sarah's window.
Khloe appeared, waving.
Emily waved back.
"I'm going to let Ruth believe she won."
Evan said nothing.
"Then I'm going to make her explain exactly what she thinks she won in front of everyone."
"That's dangerous."
"Not if I'm ready."
"Tyler gets unpredictable."
"I know."
"Ruth is worse."
"I know."
"Emily."
"Come Sunday."
Long silence.
Then Evan said, "I'll think about it."
After the call, Emily entered Sarah's house.
Khloe ran to her.
"Are we going home?"
"Not yet."
"Why?"
Emily crouched.
"Because I need to make Grandma think everything is normal."
Khloe frowned.
"Is Grandma bad?"
The question hurt.
Emily did not want to turn Khloe's childhood into a courtroom.
But she would not lie either.
"Grandma is doing bad things."
"Because of me?"
"No."
"Because I told?"
"No."
Khloe looked close to tears.
Emily held her shoulders.
"Listen to me. Telling me was brave."
"But Uncle Tyler got mad."
"That's his problem."
"Grandma said families don't tell secrets."
Emily's anger flared.
"Safe families don't make children keep scary secrets."
Khloe absorbed that.
Then she whispered, "There's another secret."
Emily's heart stopped.
"What?"
Khloe looked toward Sarah's kitchen.
"Grandma made me pack a bag."
"When?"
"Yesterday morning."
"Where is it?"
"In her closet."
"What was in it?"
"Pajamas. Shoes. My purple bunny."
Emily felt cold.
"What did she say it was for?"
Khloe's voice became small.
"Sunday night."
Emily hugged her.
May you like
Ruth was not planning temporary paperwork.
She was planning for Khloe not to come home.
