Chapter 9 - The Family Meeting
Nobody left.
That surprised Brenda.
It surprised Derek even more.
His aunt Patricia sat down first.
Then Marcus.
Then three cousins.
Soon everyone was looking at Derek.
Not me.
Derek hated that.
He placed both hands on the dining table.
"This is ridiculous."
Marcus spoke.
"Is Allison alive?"
Derek stared at him.
"I have no idea."
I took out my phone.
"Interesting."
"Put that away."
"Why?"
"Because you're recording people without permission."
"We're in New York, Derek."
His face tightened.
He knew I worked in compliance.
He also knew I understood enough about evidence to make him nervous.
I had already started recording when we entered the room.
Brenda folded her arms.
"Allison abandoned Derek."
"Apparently she forgot to abandon the marriage certificate."
Whispers spread around the table.
Derek pointed at me.
"She's lying."
"Then this should be easy."
I opened the image Olivia had sent.
A certified marriage record.
Derek Michael Hale and Allison Marie Reed.
No divorce notation.
No dissolution.
No annulment.
Marcus stared at Derek.
"You said you divorced her."
"I did."
"Where are the papers?"
"With my attorney."
"Which attorney?"
Derek hesitated.
That hesitation did more damage than any answer.
Brenda jumped in.
"This has nothing to do with Chloe."
"It has everything to do with Chloe," Emma said.
Every head turned.
Brenda's expression became murderous.
Emma's hands trembled.
But she kept speaking.
"There are files upstairs."
"Emma," Brenda warned.
"Files on Allison."
"Rebecca."
"Marissa."
"And Chloe."
Derek moved toward her.
I stepped between them.
"Don't."
He looked down at me.
"You have no idea what you're doing."
"I know somebody forged my signature."
That shattered the room.
Marcus rose from his chair.
"What?"
I held up my phone.
"Spousal Asset Transfer Authorization."
"$300,000."
"Signed by someone pretending to be me."
Derek's face went blank.
Brenda recovered first.
"That is a preliminary document."
"It has my signature."
"Perhaps you signed more paperwork than you remember."
"I didn't."
"New brides are often overwhelmed."
"New brides don't usually hallucinate forged banking documents."
Marcus turned toward Derek.
"Show me the files."
"No."
That single word changed everything.
Until that moment, Derek could still pretend I was confused.
Now his own family began looking at him differently.
Brenda saw it too.
She reached into her handbag.
I instinctively stepped backward.
But she did not pull out the gun.
She pulled out her phone.
"Everyone leave."
Nobody moved.
Brenda's voice sharpened.
"I said everyone leave."
Then the front doorbell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Brenda went completely still.
May you like
I already knew who was outside.
Allison had arrived.
