Chapter 4 - The Woman at the Dealership
Nora advised Mia not to confront the family again until they had more information.
Mia agreed.
Then she called the dealership.
The first employee transferred her to financing. Financing transferred her to account services. Account services asked for the vehicle identification number.
Mia did not have the complete number, but she remembered the temporary permit and the last four digits printed on the torn statement.
The employee searched.
“Are you Mia Mercer?”
“Yes.”
“Could you verify your date of birth?”
Mia did.
The employee’s tone changed.
“Ms. Mercer, are you currently in possession of the vehicle?”
“No.”
“Our records identify you as the primary income guarantor.”
“I never applied for this loan.”
“Did you authorize Brianna Mercer to apply on your behalf?”
“No.”
“Did you visit our Northbridge location on April eighteenth?”
“I was in Denver on April eighteenth.”
The employee asked her to hold.
Five minutes later, a man introduced himself as Adrian Bell, the dealership’s fraud-prevention manager.
He repeated the questions.
Mia repeated the answers.
“Ms. Mercer, the application included a copy of your driver’s license, your tax return, employment verification, and your social security card.”
“My social security card was stolen.”
“Have you filed a police report?”
“Not yet.”
“You should.”
“Who submitted the application?”
“Brianna Mercer is listed as the buyer. Kyle Mercer is listed as an authorized representative.”
“What does that mean?”
“He presented a limited financial power of attorney.”
Mia’s stomach tightened.
“I never gave Kyle power of attorney.”
“The document appears to contain your signature.”
“It is forged.”
“The signature was witnessed.”
“By whom?”
Adrian did not answer immediately.
“Mr. Bell?”
“A woman named Evelyn Mercer.”
Mia pressed the phone against her ear.
“Repeat that.”
“The witness’s name is Evelyn Mercer.”
“My mother had that name.”
“Could it be another relative?”
“My mother disappeared twelve years ago. She was declared dead.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Did anyone verify the witness’s identification?”
“Yes. A state identification card was scanned.”
“Was there a photograph?”
“Yes.”
Mia struggled to keep her voice steady.
“Was the woman my mother?”
“I cannot make that determination.”
“Let me see the photograph.”
“The records are restricted during an investigation.”
“You have a dead woman signing a fraudulent loan in my name.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t.”
Adrian lowered his voice.
“The situation is more complicated than one vehicle.”
“What does that mean?”
“When our system flagged your employment information, we discovered another pending application.”
“For another SUV?”
“A commercial vehicle.”
“Whose name?”
“I cannot disclose it until the fraud review is complete.”
“Was my identity used?”
“Yes.”
“Was Evelyn Mercer listed again?”
Adrian hesitated.
“No.”
“Who was?”
“The second witness used the name Mia Mercer.”
Mia stared at her reflection in the window.
“That’s my name.”
“Yes.”
“Then who was listed as the borrower?”
Before he could answer, a notification appeared on Mia’s phone.
Kyle had sent her a photograph.
It showed the missing social security card resting on a wooden table.
Underneath it was a message.
Come to dinner Sunday. We can settle this privately.
Mia showed the message to Nora.
Nora responded with two words.
Do not go.
Mia typed back.
I need them to talk.
They will lie.
Then I need to hear which lie they choose.
Nora called immediately.
“You are not confronting them alone.”
“The dealership needs evidence.”
“So do the police.”
“If Kyle destroys everything before an investigation begins, we lose the records.”
“You could lose more than records.”
Mia looked again at the photograph of her stolen card.
Kyle had chosen the wooden table carefully.
She recognized it.
The table stood inside the study of the old Mercer lake house.
The place where the final family photograph had been taken.
The house had supposedly been abandoned for more than a decade.
But someone had been there recently.
May you like
Behind the social security card, barely visible in the photograph, stood a woman’s hand.
On her wrist was a silver bracelet.
