Chapter 7 - The Forged Shadow
I spent the next forty-eight hours in a haze of research and legal consultations.
I met with Elias Thorne in a small,
dusty office near the courthouse.
He was a man who looked as old as time,
with eyes that had seen every trick in the book.
"They tried to file a transfer yesterday,"
Elias told me,
sliding a document across the desk.
I looked at the paper,
my blood turning to ice.
It was a deed transfer for the Apex land.
It bore my mother's signature,
dated the day before she died.
And beneath it,
my own signature,
notarized by a man named Arthur Pendergast.
"I didn't sign this,"
I whispered,
my hand trembling as I traced the fake ink.
"And my mother was in the hospital that day,"
"she couldn't even hold a pen."
"It’s a forgery,"
Elias said simply.
"A very good one,"
"likely done by a professional."
"But more importantly,"
"they bribed the notary."
"Gavin thinks he’s clever,"
"he thinks that because he has the deed and the signatures,"
"the land is his to sell to the investors."
I looked at the dates on the document.
The sale was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
Gavin and Harriet were planning to sell my mother's legacy to the highest bidder,
pocketing the half-million dollars for themselves.
"What do we do?"
I asked.
Elias leaned back,
a slow,
predatory smile spreading across his face.
"We let them think they’ve won."
"We let them go to the meeting."
"And then,"
"we show them the real power of your mother’s trust."
I left the office feeling a strange sense of calm.
I went back to the apartment,
acting as if I were defeated.
I cooked dinner,
I cleaned the floors,
and I endured Gavin's smug insults.
"See?"
he said as he ate the steak I had prepared.
"You’re much better when you’re quiet."
"We’re going to be very rich soon, Samantha."
"Maybe I’ll even buy you a new car,"
"if you behave."
I just nodded,
keeping my eyes on my plate.
Inside,
May you like
I was counting the seconds until tomorrow.
I was imagining the look on his face when the hammer finally came down for the last time.
