“What?”
“If Adrian has been accessing accounts using your credentials, you may discover documents containing your name.”
That thought stayed with me through the entire flight.
EVERMERE WAS BEAUTIFUL
I hated it immediately.
Blue water.
White buildings.
Palm trees.
Luxury cars.
The kind of place Adrian and I used to say we would visit “someday.”
Apparently he had.
Just not with me.
I rented a small car.
Checked into a modest hotel ten minutes from The Evermere House.
Then waited.
Monica called at 4:40.
“We found where the smaller education-fund withdrawals went.”
My grip tightened on the phone.
“Where?”
“A holding company.”
“What holding company?”
“Evermere Horizon LLC.”
I sat up.
“Who owns it?”
“That’s the interesting part.”
“What?”
“It was formed three months ago.”
“Managing members are Adrian Cole and Vanessa Hale.”
I felt physically sick.
“He put Lily’s money into a company with her?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“At least fourteen thousand from the education account.”
“That isn’t everything.”
“No.”
“We traced another twenty-nine thousand from your general investment account.”
I closed my eyes.
“Forty-three thousand.”
“So far.”
“So far?”
“There’s more.”
Of course there was.
Monica continued:
“Do you remember refinancing the house eight months ago?”
“No.”
Silence.
“Claire.”
“We did not refinance.”
“I have a recorded lien showing a home-equity line opened against the property.”
My heart stopped.
“How much?”
“One hundred and ten thousand.”
I stood.
“No.”
“Current balance seventy-eight thousand.”
“No.”
“Your electronic signature appears on the authorization.”
“I never signed.”
“I know.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the document shows execution at 2:16 p.m. on March 18.”
“So?”
“Where were you?”
I remembered instantly.
Westhaven Design Expo.
My studio had been presenting a hotel project.
I had photographs.
Receipts.
Conference credentials.
Hundreds of witnesses.
“I was in Westhaven.”
“Exactly.”
The loan application originated from a Bellmere IP address.”
I whispered:
“Adrian.”
“Yes.”
“Can you stop them from buying property?”
“We can try to freeze transfers tied to jointly held assets.”
“Try?”
“Move fast.”
I DIDN’T SLEEP
At 6:30 the next morning, Monica sent me scanned documents from Evermere Coastal Residences.
The property Adrian and Vanessa intended to purchase was not a condo.
It was a two-bedroom luxury villa overlooking the coast.
Price:
$640,000.
Deposit required Friday:
$85,000.
The buyer:
Evermere Horizon LLC.
The contact email belonged to Adrian
