Chapter 6 - MONDAY MORNING
Monday began at 6:03 a.m. with a call from the Davidson County Register of Deeds fraud unit.
Someone had attempted to submit a property document electronically overnight.
The document transferred my house into Bradley Family Holdings LLC.
The submission had been rejected because of an authentication problem.
But the attempt existed.
And it had occurred at 1:14 a.m.
Teresa had been in custody at 1:14 a.m.
Mason had been in custody too.
That left Richard.
I called Detective Laura Gaines, the financial crimes investigator assigned to the case.
She told me not to contact him.
“We’re locating him.”
“Can he file again?”
“We have placed a fraud alert on the property.”
“What about the mortgage application?”
“Call the lender’s fraud department immediately.”
I did.
By 7:00 a.m., the loan application was frozen.
By 7:30, our bank had removed the external account linked to Bradley Family Holdings.
By 8:00, I had frozen my credit.
By 8:15, Amy had frozen hers.
At 9:00, we sat across from a real estate attorney named Rachel Bennett.
Rachel was in her early forties, wore a navy suit, and had the calm expression of someone who had spent years watching people make disastrous decisions with expensive consequences.
She reviewed the documents for nearly an hour.
Then she leaned back.
“Your mother was not improvising.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Rachel tapped the power of attorney.
“I mean this is organized.”
“What exactly was she trying to do?”
“The apparent goal was to transfer the property into an LLC she controlled.”
“And then?”
“Use the property as collateral.”
“For the $280,000?”
“Most likely.”
“Could she actually have done it?”
“With enough forged documents and a careless lender, yes.”
Amy went pale.
Rachel continued.
“It could eventually have been reversed.”
“Eventually?”
“Fraudulent transfers can be challenged.”
“But?”
“But unraveling them can take months or years.”
I stared at the documents.
“So she could have tied up our home even if she couldn’t permanently steal it.”
“Yes.”
“And the money?”
“If funds had been disbursed and moved, recovery would depend on where they went.”
I looked at Amy.
“This was close.”
Rachel nodded.
“Very.”
She slid another page toward me.
“This concerns me more.”
It was the unsigned power of attorney.
“Why?”
“Because it includes authority over property, banking, taxes, insurance, and legal claims.”
Amy frowned.
“So if she forged Connor’s signature?”
“She could attempt to act broadly in his name.”
“Attempt?”
Rachel emphasized the word.
“Attempt.”
“It would not make those actions lawful.”
“But it could create enormous damage before anyone stopped her.”
I thought about the hidden camera.
The mail.
The copied identification.
The account numbers.
My mother had not simply targeted one deed.
She had been trying to become me on paper.
“What do we do?”
Rachel folded her hands.
“First, we create a wall.”
She gave me a list.
Property fraud alert.
Credit freezes.
Bank security codes.
New email addresses.
Updated beneficiaries.
New wills.
Revoke every existing authorization Teresa might claim.
Notify our insurance company.
Notify the IRS identity protection program.
Change locks.
Change alarm codes.
Secure birth certificates.
Secure Social Security cards.
Document every financial transfer.
Then she looked at Amy.
“And no contact with Teresa outside law enforcement or counsel.”
Amy nodded immediately.
I did too.
Rachel studied me.
“That includes guilt calls from relatives.”
“I can handle them.”
“Everyone says that.”
She pushed a yellow pad toward me.
“Write this sentence down.”
I frowned.
“What sentence?”
“Family pressure is not legal obligation.”
I wrote it.
Rachel smiled slightly.
“You will need it.”
She was right.
By noon, I had received nineteen calls.
Uncle Dean said Teresa had made mistakes but did not deserve prison.
Cousin Lauren said Amy had “escalated things.”
My grandmother said I should remember who gave me life.
Another aunt said pressing charges would embarrass the family.
I answered none of them.
Then a voicemail arrived from a number I recognized.
My mother.
She had been released on bond.
I did not listen.
I forwarded it to Detective Gaines.
Twenty minutes later, Gaines called.
“Did your mother contact you directly?”
“She left a voicemail.”
“Do not delete it.”
“I won’t.”
“We are seeking conditions limiting contact.”
“Good.”
There was a pause.
“We found Richard Vance.”
My entire body tightened.
“Where?”
“At his office.”
“Did he file the document?”
“He says he did.”
“Why?”
“He claims Teresa gave him instructions two days ago.”
“That makes no sense.”
“I agree.”
“Did he admit notarizing my signature?”
“No.”
“What did he say?”
Gaines hesitated.
“He says he watched you sign.”
I almost laughed.
“I have never met him.”
“That is what makes this interesting.”
“What happens now?”
“We compare signatures.”
“Okay.”
“And we examine his electronic notary records.”
I heard papers moving.
“Mr. Bradley, there’s another issue.”
“What?”
“Mr. Vance notarized more than one document in your name.”
My throat tightened.
“How many?”
“At least seven.”
I stood beside my desk.
“What documents?”
“We’re still identifying them.”
“Seven?”
“Yes.”
May you like
Then Gaines said the words that made my stomach drop.
“One appears to involve a life insurance policy.”
