Chapter 3 - The Money TrailThe truth hidden inside the bank statements
Skylar spent the night in a hotel near Brickell.
She barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the mug leaving Derek's hand.
Not the impact.
The certainty.
He had meant to hurt her.
That realization was worse than the burn.
At 8:00 a.m., Mara Collins arrived.
She placed a folder on the table.
“You did the right thing.”
Skylar stared at the coffee in front of her.
“I don't feel like I did.”
“You will.”
Mara opened the folder.
“Your medical report is strong evidence.”
Skylar nodded.
“And the photographs from your apartment?”
“My security system.”
Mara smiled faintly.
“I'm glad you installed it.”
Skylar looked away.
She had installed the cameras eighteen months earlier.
Derek had called them unnecessary.
Skylar had simply stopped arguing.
Mara slid another folder toward her.
“Now we need to talk about money.”
Skylar opened it.
Bank statements.
Transaction histories.
Credit reports.
Company registrations.
“What am I looking at?”
“Your husband has been using financial structures you didn't know existed.”
Skylar's pulse quickened.
Mara pointed to a series of transfers.
“Eleven thousand dollars.”
Another.
“Six thousand.”
Another.
“Eight thousand.”
Skylar swallowed.
“When?”
“Over the last nineteen months.”
“To whom?”
Mara circled the recipient.
S. Mercer Consulting.
Suzanne's married name.
Skylar stared.
“I never authorized this.”
“I know.”
“How did they get access?”
Mara turned the page.
The signatures made Skylar's blood run cold.
Her name appeared on two authorization forms.
They looked almost perfect.
Almost.
Skylar touched the paper.
“That isn't my signature.”
“I know.”
Mara leaned back.
“We hired a forensic document examiner this morning.”
“What did they say?”
“They believe the signatures were digitally reproduced.”
Skylar felt suddenly dizzy.
“Derek?”
“Probably.”
“Probably?”
“We need proof.”
Mara opened another document.
“Here's where it gets worse.”
A credit line.
$180,000.
Skylar stared.
“That's impossible.”
“It's an application for a home equity line against the apartment.”
“My apartment?”
“Yes.”
“But I never applied.”
“Someone did.”
Skylar flipped through the pages.
The application listed Derek as co-borrower.
Her name was listed as primary owner.
The signature looked almost exactly right.
Almost.
Then she saw the final page.
A typed note:
Spouse agrees to additional collateral requirements.
Skylar's hands became cold.
“He was going to mortgage my apartment.”
Mara nodded.
“That's what it appears to be.”
Skylar sat back.
“Why?”
Mara hesitated.
“Because the debt isn't primarily Suzanne's.”
Skylar looked up.
“What?”
Mara slid one final statement across the table.
Derek had a private credit card.
Balance:
$74,912.
Then another.
$51,670.
Then another.
$28,402.
Skylar whispered, “How?”
Mara looked directly at her.
“Your husband has been gambling.”
Skylar's face went pale.
“Gambling?”
“Sports betting accounts. Online casinos. Private betting groups.”
Skylar stared at the numbers.
“How long?”
“At least three years.”
She laughed once.
It wasn't amusement.
It was disbelief.
All those nights Derek said he was working late.
All those weekends he claimed he needed “space.”
All those unexplained cash withdrawals.
She thought he was cheating.
She had never imagined this.
Mara closed the folder.
“You weren't just married to someone controlling.”
Skylar looked at her.
“You were financially protecting someone who was drowning in debt.”
Skylar's eyes filled.
“And Suzanne?”
Mara answered carefully.
“She isn't the victim in this story.”
“What is she?”
“She's one of the beneficiaries.”
Skylar sat completely still.
Then her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She hesitated before answering.
“Hello?”
A woman's whisper came through.
“Skylar?”
“Yes?”
“You don't know me.”
“Who are you?”
“My name is Rachel.”
Skylar frowned.
“Rachel who?”
The woman breathed shakily.
“I used to work with Derek.”
“Where?”
“At the insurance company.”
Skylar sat upright.
“What do you know?”
Rachel lowered her voice.
“I saw a file with your name.”
Skylar's heart began pounding.
“What file?”
“It was an insurance policy.”
“What kind?”
A pause.
Then Rachel said:
“Life insurance.”
Skylar's skin went cold.
“How much?”
“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“Who is the beneficiary?”
Rachel didn't answer immediately.
When she finally did, her voice was barely audible.
“Derek.”
The call ended.
Skylar stared at the phone.
Mara saw her expression.
“What happened?”
Skylar slowly lowered the phone.
Then she whispered:
“My husband has a life insurance policy on me.”
Mara's face changed.
“How long?”
Skylar looked down at the documents.
Rachel had given one more piece of information before hanging up.
The policy had been updated seven months earlier.
Seven months ago.
Exactly one week after Skylar discovered a mysterious brake repair bill for her car.
May you like
She hadn't thought anything of it.
Until now.
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