The attorney's words remained suspended in the kitchen long after the call ended.
Sasha stared at the phone in her hand.
“I never signed anything.”
“I know,” the attorney had said. “That's why we're treating this seriously.”
Omar paced from the window to the kitchen table and back again. His shoulders were rigid, and every few seconds he looked toward the driveway as though expecting someone to appear.
Sasha finally set the phone down.
“Who could have done it?”
“We don't know yet,” Omar said.
“But someone used my name.”
“Yes.”
“And they knew enough about the property to make it believable.”
Omar stopped walking.
“Derek knew about the land.”
“Derek didn't know my signature.”
“He could have given Calvin information.”
Sasha shook her head.
“Information isn't a signature.”
That distinction changed the room.
The attorney had already contacted the county office and requested copies of everything submitted under Sasha's name. Until the documents arrived, they were working with incomplete information.
Sasha hated that.
She had spent years learning not to let other people define her circumstances. Now an unknown person had created a version of her on paper and expected government records to accept it.
The next morning, they drove to the attorney's office.
Miller had assembled a folder on the conference table.
There were copies of the development inquiry, the property description, the road-improvement notice, and a cover letter.
Sasha picked up the first page.
Her name was typed correctly.
Her address was correct.
The parcel number was correct.
Even the acreage was correct.
But there was no actual signature.
Instead, the form stated that the property owner had expressed preliminary interest in development.
Sasha looked up.
“So whoever submitted this didn't forge my signature.”
“Correct.”
“Then why is it under my name?”
“Because someone represented that they were communicating with you.”
Omar frowned.
“Who?”
Miller tapped the cover letter.
“The submission came through a consulting office connected to the development company.”
Sasha's stomach tightened.
“Calvin.”
“Possibly.”
“Can you prove it?”
“Not yet.”
He slid another page across the table.
At the bottom was a contact name.
Marissa Bell.
Taylor's friend.
Sasha looked at Omar.
“That can't be a coincidence.”
“No,” Omar said quietly.
Miller held up a hand.
“It's a lead, not proof.”
They contacted Marissa that afternoon.
At first she denied knowing anything about Calvin.
Then Omar mentioned the paperwork.
There was a long silence.
“I didn't know it would go this far,” Marissa finally said.
Sasha felt her pulse rise.
“What did you do?”
“I gave someone information.”
“What information?”
“About the property.”
“Why?”
Marissa's voice became defensive.
“I was asked.”
“By whom?”
“Derek.”
Omar closed his eyes.
Sasha stared at the wall.
Derek had told Calvin.
Marissa had passed information along.
Calvin had contacted the development company.
But that still didn't explain the false representation.
Marissa finally admitted that she had forwarded an old message from Taylor discussing Sasha's business plans and the possibility of expanding.
“Someone asked me whether Sasha might consider selling,” she said.
“And you said?”
“I said I didn't know.”
“Then why did you send the message?”
“Because I thought it was harmless.”
Sasha's voice was quiet.
“You thought my private conversation was harmless.”
Marissa began crying.
“I made a mistake.”
Sasha did not answer.
She was tired of people calling consequences mistakes after the damage had already been done.
The attorney asked Marissa to provide every message she had received concerning the property.
She agreed.
Within hours, another piece surfaced.
Calvin had sent Marissa a map of the area.
The road improvement project was marked in red.
Sasha's acreage was circled.
Next to it was a handwritten note.
Owner may be receptive if approached correctly.
Sasha read the sentence twice.
“Approached correctly.”
Omar looked furious.
“That sounds like he knew exactly what he was doing.”
Miller remained careful.
“It indicates intent, but we still need to determine who authorized the submission.”
They requested the original electronic records from the consulting office.
The answer came two days later.
The inquiry had been uploaded through an employee account belonging to Calvin's assistant.
But the employee claimed she had received the information from a third party.
That third party was Derek.
Derek was asked to come to the attorney's office.
He arrived alone.
His face looked gray.
“I didn't submit anything,” he said immediately.
Miller pointed toward the chair.
“Sit down.”
Derek sat.
“I gave Calvin the property information,” he admitted. “I told him Sasha owned it. I told him she had a baking business and might need money to expand.”
Sasha stared at him.
“You told him that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I thought if he offered enough, you'd consider selling.”
“I told you I wasn't selling.”
“I know.”
“You knew.”
Derek lowered his head.
“I was desperate.”
Omar's voice was low.
“You were willing to use my wife to solve your debt.”
Derek didn't defend himself.
“I was wrong.”
Miller leaned forward.
“Did you authorize Calvin or anyone else to represent Sasha as interested in development?”
“No.”
“Did you sign anything?”
“No.”
“Did you provide any document containing Sasha's signature?”
“No.”
That left the final piece unresolved.
Who had made the representation?
Derek looked at Sasha.
“There was someone else.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
“My mother.”
Omar stiffened.
“What did she do?”
Derek swallowed.
“She told Calvin that Sasha would eventually have to sell.”
Sasha shook her head.
“That still doesn't explain the paperwork.”
“No.”
Derek hesitated.
“She gave him something.”
“What?”
“I don't know exactly.”
“Derek.”
“She had a copy of the property paperwork.”
Sasha's heart dropped.
“Why would she have that?”
Derek looked ashamed.
“After everyone left the house, she took some documents from her old room.”
Omar stood abruptly.
“She stole my wife's property records?”
“I don't know if she stole them. She said they were family papers.”
Miller's expression became serious.
“Which documents?”
Derek looked at Sasha.
“The original closing packet.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Sasha remembered the first weeks after buying the house.
She had kept the closing papers in a folder in the bedroom desk.
Denise had occupied that bedroom.
When the family finally left, Sasha had assumed everything remained where she had put it.
She suddenly realized she had never checked.
They returned home that afternoon.
Sasha opened the drawer.
The folder was missing.
Omar stood behind her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She checked another drawer.
Nothing.
The attorney advised them not to confront Denise yet.
Instead, they filed a formal report concerning the missing documents and unauthorized representation.
Sasha sat on the edge of the bed.
The room had once belonged to Denise for those terrible weeks.
Now the same room held another reminder of what had happened.
“I feel stupid,” she whispered.
Omar sat beside her.
“You aren't stupid.”
“I let them into my home.”
“You trusted family.”
“That was the mistake.”
“No,” he said. “The mistake was theirs.”
She looked at him.
He continued.
“And I won't let you carry the guilt for what they chose to do.”
That evening, Denise called.
Sasha answered.
“Where are my property documents?”
There was silence.
“What?”
“The closing folder. You took it.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Derek told us.”
Denise's breathing changed.
“I borrowed some papers.”
“You didn't ask.”
“I was going to return them.”
“Why did you give them to Calvin?”
“I didn't.”
“Then where are they?”
Denise hesitated.
“I gave them to someone who said he could help.”
“Who?”
“I can't remember his name.”
Sasha knew she was lying.
“Mom.”
Denise began crying.
“I didn't think anyone would use them against you.”
“You knew they were using information about my house.”
“I thought they were trying to help.”
“With what?”
“With your future.”
Sasha's voice became very calm.
“You don't get to decide my future.”
Denise said nothing.
Then Sasha heard something in the background.
A man's voice.
“Denise, who are you talking to?”
Sasha froze.
She knew that voice.
Calvin.
Click here to continue reading: PART 10: Calvin’s Voice Came Through Denise’s Phone, Confirming the Connection Everyone Feared and Forcing Sasha to Make a Choice She Had Never Wanted to Make
I Expected to Find My Daughter Resting in the House I Had Given Her, Until the Voices Inside Made Me Realize Someone Else Had Taken Charge
Part 9 of 12
