Chapter 9 - THE FORGERY
By noon on Christmas Day, James had turned our dining room into a command center.
Laptop.
Notepad.
Documents.
Phone calls.
Emma slept upstairs with the baby monitor beside me.
I sat across from James while he pulled up the county deed records Robert had sent us.
There it was.
My name.
Sarah Elizabeth Walker.
My alleged signature.
Except it wasn't mine.
Not even close.
James compared it to my driver's license.
“The same person may have forged both.”
“My signature and yours?”
“Possibly.”
I stared at the screen.
“Lauren.”
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
The land had sold for $840,000.
After taxes, fees, and an old lien, approximately $720,000 remained.
Half should have belonged to me.
Three hundred sixty thousand dollars.
“Where did the money go?”
“Robert is getting the closing records.”
My phone buzzed.
Mom again.
This time I answered.
“Sarah.”
She sounded wrecked.
“Did you know about the land?”
Silence.
“Mom.”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
James watched me.
“Did you know my signature was forged?”
“No.”
“Do not lie to me anymore.”
“I swear.”
“Who handled the sale?”
Another pause.
“Lauren.”
Of course.
“You let Lauren handle the sale of property she partly owned?”
“She said she had a buyer.”
“Where's my half of the money?”
Mom started crying.
“We thought you signed.”
“No, you didn't.”
“We did.”
“Mom, I didn't even know the land was still in Grandma's estate.”
“Lauren told us you agreed.”
“And you believed her?”
“She showed us paperwork.”
I slammed my hand on the table.
“WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME?”
James reached across and touched my wrist.
Grounding me.
Mom whispered, “You were pregnant.”
I couldn't believe it.
“So?”
“We didn't want to stress you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“How thoughtful.”
“Sarah…”
“Where did the money go?”
“Lauren said your share was being invested.”
My mouth went dry.
“Invested where?”
“I don't know.”
“Mom!”
“She handled everything!”
My chest tightened.
“You gave my inheritance to her twice.”
“No—”
“First Grandma's cash. Then my land.”
“She said you'd agreed to invest.”
“You didn't ask me.”
“I know.”
“Say it.”
“What?”
“Say you didn't ask me.”
Mom sobbed.
“We didn't ask you.”
I lowered my voice.
“And why didn't you?”
She stopped crying for a second.
Then she whispered the truth.
“Because Lauren said you would say no.”
There it was.
Not confusion.
Not a mistake.
They knew.
Maybe not every detail.
But they knew enough to know I hadn't consented.
I ended the call.
James waited.
“They knew I would say no.”
He nodded slowly.
“That matters.”
“For what?”
“Legally.”
I stared at him.
“I don't want to send my parents to prison.”
“I didn't say anything about prison.”
“But that's where this is going.”
“Sarah.”
He leaned forward.
“You do not have to decide everything today.”
“I feel like my whole childhood just got rewritten overnight.”
“No.”
His voice was gentle.
“It didn't get rewritten.”
I looked at him.
“You're just finally seeing what was already there.”
That hurt because it was true.
My laptop chimed.
New email.
From Robert.
Closing Statement — Mountain Property Sale.
I opened it.
My eyes moved down the document.
Purchase price.
Fees.
Net proceeds.
Distributions.
Then I saw it.
One transfer for $360,214.
Recipient:
NORTH STAR CAPITAL HOLDINGS LLC.
I looked at James.
“My half went directly to Lauren's company.”
His phone immediately rang.
Attorney Mark.
James answered.
“Mark?”
He listened.
His expression darkened.
“How bad?”
Another pause.
Then he looked at me.
“What?”
James covered the phone.
“The company isn't just Lauren.”
My stomach twisted.
“Who else owns it?”
He stared at me.
May you like
“Your mother.”
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