Chapter 12 - The Person Behind the Plan
My mother wasn't the mastermind. She was the shield.
The footsteps stopped outside the office.
Jason appeared in the doorway.
He looked at the papers in my hands.
Then at Mom.
Then at Olivia.
“What is this?”
Mom didn't answer.
Jason stepped inside.
“Mom?”
She whispered, “You shouldn't be here.”
Jason frowned.
“Riley called me.”
He looked at the black binder.
“What is that?”
“My file.”
Jason stared at the note.
Use Christmas pressure first.
His face changed.
“Mom?”
She sat down.
“I was trying to help.”
Jason looked at me.
“What happened?”
I handed him the page.
He read it.
Then another.
Then another.
“Who wrote this?”
Mom was silent.
“Mom.”
Still nothing.
Jason's voice rose.
“Who wrote this?”
Finally she said:
“Your father.”
Dad's voice came from downstairs.
“What?”
Mom flinched.
Jason looked toward the hall.
“Dad?”
Dad slowly appeared at the doorway.
He looked at the binder.
Then at me.
And I knew before he spoke.
He had seen it.
He recognized it.
“You wrote this,” I said.
Dad didn't deny it.
Jason looked stunned.
“Why?”
Dad lowered himself into a chair.
“Because we were running out of options.”
“You planned the childcare?”
Dad looked at me.
“I planned a way to get you home.”
“For what?”
“The property.”
“Why?”
“Because the lender gave us until January fifth.”
I laughed.
“You thought you'd pressure me into signing.”
He looked down.
“Yes.”
Jason stared at him.
“You used the kids.”
Dad closed his eyes.
“I didn't think it would go this far.”
I felt something inside me go very still.
“You didn't think.”
“No.”
“You created fake documents.”
“Yes.”
“You used my signature.”
“Yes.”
“You tried to access my bank account.”
“I didn't authorize that.”
Mom spoke quickly.
“Your father didn't know about the transfer.”
I looked at her.
“Then who did?”
She went silent.
Jason looked between them.
“Mom?”
She lowered her eyes.
“I did.”
Jason froze.
“You what?”
“I only meant to move the money temporarily.”
“Thirty-eight thousand dollars?”
“I was going to put it back.”
Jason shook his head.
“You were stealing from her.”
“I was trying to save the house!”
“You were stealing from Riley.”
Mom started crying.
Dad whispered, “Linda.”
I looked at both of them.
“So all of this…”
I gestured toward the documents.
“The childcare.”
“The apartment.”
“The fake signature.”
“The property.”
“The bank transfer.”
“You planned it.”
Dad didn't answer.
Then Jason said something that made everybody look at him.
“Why did you need Riley home on Christmas?”
Dad stared at him.
“Because.”
“Because what?”
Silence.
Jason stepped closer.
“Dad, what aren't you telling us?”
Dad finally looked at him.
“The lender wasn't the only problem.”
My stomach tightened.
“What else?”
He took a long breath.
“We owe someone else.”
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
Jason's face drained.
“Dad.”
“Private lender.”
“How much?”
“Three hundred thousand.”
Silence.
Three hundred thousand on top of the existing debt.
I stared at my father.
“That's why you needed my property.”
He nodded.
“Because the bank wouldn't approve another loan.”
“So you decided to take mine.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“We decided to persuade you.”
The word made me sick.
I stepped backward.
Then the front door slammed downstairs.
All of us froze.
A man's voice echoed through the house.
“Mr. Morgan?”
Dad went pale.
Jason whispered, “Who is that?”
Dad looked at me.
For the first time in my life, my father looked genuinely afraid.
“That's the lender.”
Olivia stepped forward.
“Don't say another word.”
Everyone looked at her.
She calmly closed the binder.
May you like
Then she said:
“Because the person downstairs isn't here for the money.”
