That settles it.
Lucas gave me the property before his deployment.
He must have forgotten what he signed.”
Daniel studied the page.
“Mr.
Hale did not sign this.”
“Were you there?”
“No.
But the notary whose seal appears here died eighteen months before the date on this document.”
Audrey sat down hard.
Eleanor remained standing.
“Then the notary office made a mistake.”
“Dead people rarely make clerical errors.”
Daniel reached into the folder and removed a sealed envelope.
“This is not the only forged document.”
He opened it and placed three photocopies side by side.
The first was a change-of-address form redirecting my military correspondence to a private mailbox rented by Audrey.
The second was an authorization request submitted to our bank, supposedly bearing my signature, giving Eleanor access to an emergency household account.
The third was a draft amendment to my grandfather’s trust.
That one caught my mother’s attention.
Her eyes moved toward it before she could stop herself.
Daniel noticed.
“You recognize this?”
“Of course I recognize it.
It concerns my father’s estate.”
“It concerns an attempt to remove Lucas as the primary beneficiary and replace him with you and Audrey.”
Eleanor gave a dismissive wave.
“My father always intended to leave the family assets to me.
Lucas pressured him when he was sick.”
“Your father signed the trust amendment that placed the house funds under Lucas’s control two years before his final illness.
His attorney, physician, and two independent witnesses confirmed his capacity.”
“They were paid.”
“One of them was your brother.”
She stopped talking.
I had known about the forged house transfer and the unauthorized bank forms.
The attempted trust amendment was new to me.
Daniel had uncovered it that morning while tracing the notary seal.
I looked at Audrey.
“How much did you take?”
She folded her arms.
“I didn’t take anything.
We used money for household expenses.”
“How much?”
Her mouth tightened.
Daniel answered.
“Forty-eight thousand, six hundred and twenty dollars from the emergency account.
Another twelve thousand was charged to Sophia’s card.”
Sophia closed her eyes.
That account had been intended for medical emergencies, travel, and expenses connected to Leo’s birth.
I had deposited extra pay before deployment so Sophia would never have to worry.
Eleanor had told me the balance was low because the roof needed repairs.
The roof had never been touched.
Daniel placed photographs on the table: designer bags, restaurant receipts, spa appointments, jewelry purchases, and a deposit for a luxury cruise scheduled for the following month.
Audrey looked at her mother.
“You said he agreed.”
