Stephanie knew where to begin.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus's mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe owns a property near Lake Norman.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEric did title work for one of Marcus's companies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould Rebecca go there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus would check family property first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless Marcus is helping her hide.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe isn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he asked Cal where she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
That stopped us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe same time as the legal demand?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Cal know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Rebecca contacted him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Cal tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I heard Marcus asking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus came into this house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe day before your bonus arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd nobody thought I should know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was here ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned to Martin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Cal say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he hadn't heard from her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that true?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
Stop asking them.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
They don't know where she is.<\/p>\n
I typed:<\/p>\n
You do.<\/p>\n
The response took almost a minute.<\/p>\n
Yes.<\/p>\n
Stephanie read over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who are you?<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Instead an address appeared.<\/p>\n
A motel outside Mooresville.<\/p>\n
Room 214.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
Do not bring Martin.<\/p>\n
I showed him.<\/p>\n
He gave a humorless laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's comforting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you recognize the motel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane said, \u201cDon't go.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've known about forged documents, secret debt, a hidden child, an affair, and a criminal financing arrangement. Your instincts about what I should know have lost their authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
Stephanie and I left alone.<\/p>\n
This time I told Eric where we were going.<\/p>\n
I also sent him the address and told him to call police if he didn't hear from us within forty-five minutes of our arrival.<\/p>\n
The motel was the kind built beside highways for people who didn't intend to stay.<\/p>\n
Two floors.<\/p>\n
Exterior corridors.<\/p>\n
Ice machine near the stairs.<\/p>\n
Room 214 was upstairs.<\/p>\n
No blue sedan.<\/p>\n
No Cal.<\/p>\n
I knocked.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
Then a woman's voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJosephine Kincaid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Locks moved.<\/p>\n
The door opened three inches.<\/p>\n
A dark-haired woman looked at me.<\/p>\n
She was perhaps thirty-six.<\/p>\n
Tired eyes.<\/p>\n
No makeup.<\/p>\n
A faint scar beneath her chin.<\/p>\n
\u201cShow me your ID.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
She opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou brought Stephanie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know me?\u201d Stephanie asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cCal showed me pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence made both of us uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed the door.<\/p>\n
The room contained one suitcase and a laptop.<\/p>\n
Nothing else suggested permanence.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were with my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn't deny it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEight months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know he was married?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot initially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you stayed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor five more months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I appreciated the absence of excuses.<\/p>\n
\u201cDecember fourteenth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca sat on the edge of the bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the insurance policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin prickled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Cal have it there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe kept documents at the apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think it was?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, normal insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw the application.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy signature?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew it was forged?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had seen your real signature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthline documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForged ones?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. A tax form.\u201d<\/p>\n
That distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened when you confronted him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the policy was collateral protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI called the insurer.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat it was an individual policy. Not assigned to a lender.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Cal lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did he insure me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at me for several seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ever talk about me dying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHurting me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeaving me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he couldn't leave until the debt was resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because Marcus knew about the fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Marcus know about us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he threaten Cal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he was sleeping with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Cal stole from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephanie leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout ninety thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed from exhaustion.<\/p>\n
Another number.<\/p>\n
Another hidden amount.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthline received funds intended for property acquisition. Cal redirected part of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDebt payments. Emma. Your household. The restaurant. Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave me money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know it was stolen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I learned, I gave Marcus what remained.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEighteen thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had spent some. Cal had paid rent.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked around the motel room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you hiding now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause two weeks ago I received a copy of an old Northline ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe anonymous number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened the laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever sent it wanted me to compare it to the records I kept.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransactions missing from Northline's official books.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHundreds of thousands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephanie whispered, \u201cMarcus?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned the laptop toward us.<\/p>\n
Rows of transactions filled the screen.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Entities.<\/p>\n
Amounts.<\/p>\n
Initials.<\/p>\n
One column appeared repeatedly.<\/p>\n
CK.<\/p>\n
Cal.<\/p>\n
Another:<\/p>\n
MV.<\/p>\n
Marcus.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
DK.<\/p>\n
Diane Kincaid.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDiane?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe processed payments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she take money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca scrolled.<\/p>\n
Then stopped at another set of initials.<\/p>\n
JK.<\/p>\n
My initials.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese aren't you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe transactions happened while you were at work, traveling, or otherwise documented elsewhere. Whoever created the ledger used your identity as a category.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney attributed to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca opened a second file.<\/p>\n
\u201cLoans in your name. Credit lines. Ownership interests. Insurance premiums. Business reimbursements.\u201d<\/p>\n
My life had been converted into accounting shorthand.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan this prove Cal forged things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan it prove Marcus was laundering money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy hasn't this gone to police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the ledger also implicates people who may be innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen give them context.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI intend to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFederal investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went quiet.<\/p>\n
Stephanie said, \u201cEric?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis attorney contacted them.\u201d<\/p>\n
That explained why Eric had been careful.<\/p>\n
Why files were being protected.<\/p>\n
Why someone might have broken into his office.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do they know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to want documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they know about Cal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarcus?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA possible identity-theft victim.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relief came strangely.<\/p>\n
Not because the situation was safe.<\/p>\n
Because somewhere outside Cal's stories, someone had finally considered the possibility that I was not responsible for what bore my name.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does Cal want to find you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca closed the laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I have the original ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes Marcus want it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho sent it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who keeps texting me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed it was you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been receiving messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
I showed her.<\/p>\n
She read several.<\/p>\n
Then sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this phrasing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they write.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to see another.\u201d<\/p>\n
I showed her the message about Laura.<\/p>\n
Then the one about Martin.<\/p>\n
Rebecca read them carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's not Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Stephanie.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephanie recoiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cEric?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Eric hide his identity?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he isn't only cooperating with investigators.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe's been building a case against Cal for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Eric believes Cal stole from him deliberately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephanie stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother told me he didn't understand the financing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't initially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he knows enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy manipulate Josie?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't think he's manipulating her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe spoofed my phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe directed us to evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is manipulation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca conceded the point.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at it.<\/p>\n
The message read:<\/p>\n
Leave the motel now.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
Cal found Rebecca.<\/p>\n
We all looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
A truck had entered the parking lot.<\/p>\n
Cal's truck.<\/p>\n
Rebecca stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't move.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephanie grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cJosie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI've spent days chasing him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The truck stopped.<\/p>\n
Cal got out.<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
Directly at Room 214.<\/p>\n
Rebecca whispered, \u201cHe isn't here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I have the one thing he needs before tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached beneath the mattress.<\/p>\n
Pulled out a small flash drive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unedited Northline ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Footsteps sounded on the metal stairs outside.<\/p>\n
Cal was coming up.<\/p>\n
Stephanie knew where to begin. \u201cMarcus's mother.\u201d I looked at her. \u201cWhat about her?\u201d \u201cShe owns a property near Lake Norman.\u201d \u201cHow do you know?\u201d \u201cEric did title work for … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6343,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6312\/revisions\/6343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}