Chapter 4 - RACHEL’S PART
Rachel came to my house two days later without Daniel.
She brought soup.
That was how I knew something was wrong.
Rachel cooked when she was scared.
She placed the container on my kitchen counter and stood there twisting her wedding ring.
“Martin, did you cancel something at the bank?”
I looked at her.
“What did Daniel tell you?”
“That there’s some mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“He said you signed papers months ago so he could help if you got sick.”
I said nothing.
Her face changed.
“You didn’t?”
“No.”
She sat down.
For a moment, she looked more frightened than I felt.
“He showed me a document.”
“When?”
“Before Christmas.”
“What did he say?”
“That you wanted him to manage the rental properties and simplify the accounts.”
“Did he say why?”
Rachel stared at the table.
“He said you were having memory problems.”
There it was.
The story.
“How long has he been saying that?”
“A while.”
“How long?”
“Maybe six months.”
Six months.
Long before the forged document.
Daniel had been preparing witnesses before he prepared paperwork.
I asked one more question.
“Did he ever ask you to sign anything?”
Rachel's eyes snapped up.
That was enough.
“What?”
“He said we needed to witness a family document.”
“Did you sign?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t see your signature.”
My chest tightened.
“He got angry when I asked.”
“What happened?”
“He said you had signed another copy.”
Rachel covered her mouth.
“I believed him.”
I sat across from her.
“Do you know about the $200,000 transfer attempt?”
Her eyes widened.
“What transfer?”
I told her.
She went pale.
“Martin, Daniel doesn’t have two hundred thousand dollars in debt.”
“That was going to be my next question.”
Her gaze dropped.
Apparently, he had more.
Rachel knew about roughly $90,000.
Credit cards.
Private loans.
A failed real-estate partnership.
What she did not know was why his situation had become urgent.
Then she told me something else.
Daniel had recently taken out a large life-insurance policy.
Not on himself.
On me.
I stared at her.
“Who is the beneficiary?”
“He told me the family trust.”
“What family trust?”
She looked confused.
Exactly.
There was no family trust that Daniel controlled.
Susan and I had established trusts years ago, but Daniel was not sole beneficiary and had no authority over them.
“When did he do this?”
“A few months ago.”
“Did you see the policy?”
“No.”
“Did I sign anything?”
“He said you did.”
Of course he did.
Rachel began crying.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I should have questioned him.”
“Yes.”
I did not tell her it was okay.
Because it wasn’t.
But neither did I blame her for every lie Daniel told.
I asked her to go home and say nothing about our conversation.
She looked frightened.
“What are you going to do?”
“Find out how much of my life he’s been signing.”
Before she left, she turned back.
“Martin?”
“Yes?”
“If Daniel says you’re confused…”
“I’m not.”
“I know.”
That mattered more than I expected.
Then she added:
May you like
“I think he needs you to look confused.”
That mattered even more.
