Chapter 2 - The Paper Trail
Silence fell over the living room like a suffocating blanket.
Julia stared at Agent Vance, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"Fraudulent?" my mother finally shrieked. "That’s ridiculous! We have the proper paperwork!"
She pointed a trembling finger at their hired lawyer.
"Show him, Mr. Davis! Show him the deeds!"
Mr. Davis swallowed hard, his grip tightening on his briefcase.
"Agent Vance," Davis said, his voice noticeably shaking. "I assure you, this was a standard repossession based on outstanding debts."
Marcus didn’t even blink.
"Outstanding debts to a shell company registered in Delaware, correct?"
Davis took a step back, sweating visibly.
"I—I would need to check my files."
"Don't bother," Marcus said, pulling a pristine folder from his own briefcase. "Because I already checked them."
He tossed the folder onto the coffee table.
"The company that allegedly held Richard and Martha Thompson’s debt was created exactly six weeks ago."
I watched my sister's face turn ashen.
"That's not true," Julia stammered.
"Oh, but it is," I said, finally speaking up. "You created the company, Julia. You used Dad's old business partner to file the paperwork."
My father glared at me, his fists clenching at his sides.
"You ungrateful little brat. We are your family!"
"Family doesn't forge signatures to steal a house," I shot back.
Marcus tapped the folder on the table.
"We matched the signatures on the debt acknowledgement forms. They were clearly forged after Richard Thompson's death."
"This is absurd!" my mother cried. "We didn't forge anything!"
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Marcus looked directly at her.
"Then why did we find the IP address of your home computer linked to the digital notary stamps?"
