Chapter 3 - THE TWO-MILLION-DOLLAR LIEI had never seen two million dollars.
I had never even imagined having two million dollars.
Until that afternoon, the largest amount of money I'd ever had in one account was the $86,000 Eric had stolen from our savings.
So when Barbara told me my newborn daughter had a trust worth two million dollars, I thought grief had somehow confused her.
"What are you talking about?"
Barbara looked at me steadily.
"Your father-in-law established a trust for his future grandchildren before he died."
Walter Bennett had passed away four years earlier.
He was a quiet man who preferred old pickup trucks to luxury cars, despite having built a successful commercial real estate business.
He'd once told me that wealth was only useful when it helped somebody sleep better at night.
I loved him.
And he loved me.
But he'd never mentioned a trust.
Barbara explained that Walter had set aside money for each future grandchild. The trust provided for education, healthcare, and other approved needs while protecting the principal until adulthood.
"Chloe became a beneficiary when she was born," Barbara said.
"Eric knew?"
"Yes."
I looked at her.
"And he tried to take it?"
"He submitted documents requesting an emergency distribution."
"An emergency distribution?"
"He claimed the money was needed for your daughter's medical care."
I felt sick.
"He refused to pay for her medicine."
"I know."
"He told me he didn't have any money."
Barbara took a slow breath.
"He requested $375,000."
For a moment, I couldn't understand the number.
Three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars.
My daughter needed medication that cost $184.
And her father had tried to withdraw enough money to buy a house.
"Did he get it?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because the trust requires an independent trustee to approve distributions. The request contained inconsistencies."
"What inconsistencies?"
Barbara looked away.
"The hospital invoices were altered."
My fingers tightened around Chloe's blanket.
"Altered?"
"The amounts were inflated. Some bills had already been paid. One invoice was issued by a company that doesn't appear to provide medical services."
I stared at her.
"Who owns the company?"
Barbara didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, "Vanessa."
The SUV suddenly felt too small.
I turned toward the window.
Across the street, movers were carrying a cream-colored sofa out of the townhouse.
Vanessa stood on the sidewalk shouting into her phone.
Eric was arguing with Daniel Lawson.
Their expensive little world was literally being carried away, piece by piece.
But my attention had shifted to something far more disturbing.
Eric had used our sick daughter to justify a fraudulent request for money.
And Vanessa was involved.
"Barbara," I whispered, "how long have they been planning this?"
"I don't know yet."
"Do the police know?"
"The questionable documents have been preserved. Counsel is reviewing what should be referred to the appropriate authorities."
I looked down at Chloe.
Her tiny fingers were curled against her cheek.
She had no idea her father had used her name to try to obtain hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I began crying.
Not the loud, desperate crying I'd done after Eric left.
This was different.
Quiet.
Exhausted.
Almost numb.
Barbara wrapped one arm around my shoulders.
"I wish I'd known sooner."
I shook my head.
"He told me you hated me."
She went still.
"What?"
"He said you blamed me for his career problems. That you thought I was taking advantage of the Bennett family."
Barbara's expression hardened.
"Claire, I have never thought that."
"He said you didn't want to see me."
"I called you for weeks."
I looked up.
"What?"
"Every call went unanswered. Then I received a message from your number telling me to stay away."
I stared at her.
"I never sent that."
She pulled out her phone and showed me the message.
Barbara, please stop contacting me. I don't want you involved in my life or my baby's life. Respect my decision.
It had been sent five months earlier.
I remembered the date.
Eric had borrowed my phone that morning because he claimed his battery was dead.
He had kept it for nearly an hour.
My stomach turned.
"He sent that."
Barbara nodded.
"I suspected as much when I finally learned what happened."
I looked through the windshield.
Eric was now running toward the SUV.
His face was red.
His fists were clenched.
He reached the passenger window and pounded on the glass.
"Mom! Open the door!"
Barbara didn't move.
"Drive," she told the driver.
But Eric stepped in front of the vehicle.
"You're not taking them!"
The driver stopped.
Barbara lowered her window slightly.
"Move away from the car, Eric."
"I want to talk to my wife."
I opened my mouth.
Then I stopped myself.
There was nothing left to say.
Eric pointed at me.
"Claire, you have no idea what you're getting involved in."
Barbara's eyes narrowed.
"What does that mean?"
He laughed bitterly.
"You think you know everything?"
"Move away."
"You think Dad was some kind of saint?"
Barbara's face changed.
Eric noticed.
He leaned closer.
"Maybe you should tell Claire what happened to the original trust documents."
For the first time since she'd arrived, Barbara looked uncertain.
I turned toward her.
"What is he talking about?"
She didn't answer.
Eric smiled.
It was the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face all afternoon.
"That's right," he said. "Ask her."
Then a sheriff's deputy approached from the direction of the townhouse.
"Sir, please step away from the vehicle."
Eric stepped back reluctantly.
Barbara raised the window.
The driver pulled away.
I waited until we turned the corner.
Then I looked at her.
"Barbara."
She stared straight ahead.
"What did Eric mean about the trust documents?"
Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap.
"Claire, Walter made changes to his estate plan shortly before he died."
"What changes?"
"He removed Eric from a significant portion of the inheritance."
I frowned.
"Why?"
She took a shaky breath.
"Because Walter discovered money missing from one of the businesses."
My heart began pounding.
"Eric stole from his father?"
"Your father-in-law believed he did."
"How much?"
Barbara turned toward me.
"Almost six million dollars."
I sat perfectly still.
Then she said the words that made my skin go cold.
"And Walter left a letter explaining everything."
"Where is it?"
Barbara looked down at her handbag.
"That's the problem."
I waited.
"The letter disappeared from our attorney's office two weeks after Walter died."
I glanced back toward the townhouse.
Eric was standing beside the moving truck, talking urgently on his phone.
"Do you think Eric took it?"
Barbara's silence was answer enough.
Then her phone vibrated.
She looked at the screen.
Her expression changed.
"What is it?" I asked.
She read the message twice.
Then she handed me the phone.
It was from Daniel Lawson.
We found something in the townhouse office during the inventory. Please call me immediately. It concerns Claire's signature.
My mouth went dry.
May you like
Because I had never been inside Eric's new office.
And I had certainly never signed anything there.
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