Chapter 4: The Fraudulent Transfer
Chapter 4: The Fraudulent Transfer
Daniel was already reaching for his coat before the call had fully ended.
"Who filed it?" I asked, my pulse racing.
He grabbed his briefcase.
"We'll know in ten minutes."
Carl looked as anxious as I felt.
"Can they actually do it?"
Daniel shook his head.
"Not legally."
He stopped at the door and looked directly at me.
"But that doesn't mean they won't try."
Twenty-five minutes later, we hurried into the County Recorder's Office just minutes before closing.
A clerk recognized Daniel immediately.
"Mr. Harper."
"I need to review an emergency filing submitted within the last hour."
The clerk typed quickly.
Her expression changed.
"There is one."
She turned the monitor slightly.
"Application to transfer ownership of the Whitmore residence."
My stomach tightened.
"Submitted by Thomas Whitmore."
Daniel's jaw clenched.
"On what basis?"
The clerk opened the attached documents.
"There appears to be..."
She frowned.
"...a notarized statement claiming Richard Whitmore signed a deed transferring the property back to his father."
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"May I see it?"
She printed the filing.
The moment the paper came out of the printer, Daniel smiled.
Not because it was good news.
Because something was very wrong.
He pointed to the signature.
"This isn't Richard's."
The clerk blinked.
"You can tell?"
"I don't have to."
He pointed again.
"The document claims it was signed on February 18."
"So?"
Daniel looked at me.
"Emily."
"Where was Richard on February 18?"
I didn't even have to think.
"He was in Memorial Hospital."
"Recovering from emergency surgery."
Daniel nodded.
"He couldn't have appeared before a notary that day."
The clerk checked the document again.
Her expression slowly turned pale.
"Oh..."
Daniel continued.
"And according to these hospital records..."
He removed another folder from his briefcase.
"...Richard never left the intensive care unit."
Silence settled over the counter.
Finally the clerk whispered,
"I'll notify my supervisor."
Across town, Thomas and Eleanor were celebrating.
Crystal glasses clinked together in the dining room.
"I told you," Eleanor smiled. "By tomorrow this whole mess will be finished."
Thomas leaned back comfortably.
"Emily never understood legal paperwork."
His phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen.
Then frowned.
"What?"
Eleanor looked up.
"What happened?"
He read the email again.
"It says the filing has been placed under investigation."
"What?"
"For suspected fraud."
Her smile vanished instantly.
"That's impossible."
Another email arrived.
Then another.
Thomas opened the newest one.
His face turned white.
"What is it?" Eleanor demanded.
He swallowed.
"The recorder's office..."
His voice barely came out.
"...has frozen every transaction involving the property."
Back at Daniel's office, he spread dozens of documents across the conference table.
Carl sat quietly in the corner.
I watched Daniel compare signatures one by one.
Finally he held up two pages.
"Look carefully."
At first they appeared identical.
Then I noticed it.
Richard always wrote the letter R with a long upward stroke.
The signature on the new deed ended with a short hook.
Daniel nodded.
"Exactly."
"It's a forgery."
Carl slowly raised his hand.
"I think I know who made it."
We all looked at him.
"There was a man."
"What man?" Daniel asked.
"He came to the house about a month before Richard died."
"What was his name?"
Carl frowned.
"I only heard Mr. Whitmore call him Marty."
Daniel became very still.
"Marty..."
He opened a contact list.
"Martin Ellis?"
Carl's eyes widened.
"Yes."
"That's him."
Daniel leaned back in his chair.
"I know Martin Ellis."
"You do?"
"He lost his notary commission three years ago."
My heart skipped.
"For fraud."
The room fell silent.
"If Thomas hired him..."
Daniel nodded.
"...then this case just became criminal."
The next morning, our motel room phone rang before breakfast.
It was Detective Laura Benson from the county fraud division.
"Mrs. Whitmore?"
"Yes."
"We've received information regarding possible forged property documents."
I looked at Daniel, who nodded for me to continue.
"I understand."
"We'd like you to come in today."
"I will."
"There is one more thing."
Her tone changed.
"We also have a report involving an assault against a minor."
I instinctively looked toward Ethan, who was helping the twins pour cereal.
"The victim is your son?"
"Yes."
"We've reviewed preliminary evidence."
She paused.
"Mrs. Whitmore..."
"Based on what we've seen, we're preparing to request a warrant."
"For Thomas Whitmore?"
"Yes."
Just after noon, black SUVs rolled quietly into the Whitmore driveway.
Thomas looked through the living-room window.
"Who are they?"
Eleanor pulled back the curtain.
Her face drained of color.
"Police."
Three detectives stepped onto the porch.
A fourth remained beside the vehicles.
The doorbell rang once.
Thomas forced himself to smile as he opened the door.
"Can I help you?"
Detective Benson held up her badge.
"Thomas Whitmore?"
"Yes."
"We're investigating allegations of document fraud, attempted unlawful property transfer, illegal eviction, witness intimidation..."
She glanced at her notes.
"...and the assault of a fourteen-year-old minor."
Thomas laughed nervously.
"This is some kind of misunderstanding."
"Perhaps."
She handed him an official notice.
"Which is why we'd appreciate your cooperation."
Thomas reached for the papers.
His hands trembled.
Then Detective Benson added one sentence that caused Eleanor to stumble backward into the hallway.
"We also have reason to believe..."
She paused deliberately.
"...that someone inside this house destroyed evidence after Richard Whitmore's death."
At that exact moment, another detective emerged from the side of the property holding a black garbage bag.
"Detective!"
He raised the bag.
"I think you need to see this."
Inside were dozens of shredded documents.
Mixed among them...
were pieces of Richard Whitmore's original estate records.
May you like
And one partially burned page still showed six unmistakable words in Richard's handwriting:
"Protect Emily and the children."
