Chapter 8: The Twenty Thousand Dollar Deposit
I called Richard immediately.
“Send me the receipt.””
“I already emailed it.””
I opened my inbox.
There it was.
A bank transfer confirmation for $20,000.
The recipient account was listed as Carter Family Holdings LLC.
The account number matched the business account Danielle had identified.
The transfer date was three weeks earlier.
I stared at the screen.
“Did Evelyn tell you the money was refundable?””
“Yes. She said it would be applied toward the purchase.””
“Did you receive a contract?””
“A preliminary agreement.””
“Was it signed by me?””
“No. Evelyn signed on behalf of the company.””
I looked at the document Richard had attached.
At the bottom was my name.
Not as a signatory.
As a listed company member.
Richard spoke again.
“There's something else you should know.””
“What?””
“The real estate agent contacted me this afternoon. He said the financing wasn't moving forward and asked whether I'd be willing to extend the closing deadline.””
“Why did he contact you?””
“Because Evelyn told him I was going to occupy the property.””
I sat down.
“Did you agree?””
“No. Not after what you told me.””
I thanked him and ended the call.
Then I forwarded the receipt to Danielle.
She called within seconds.
“This is important.””
“What do we do?””
“First, we notify the bank that the account and company formation are disputed. Second, we contact the real estate agent to establish exactly what has been signed. Third, we preserve every communication from Richard and your family.””
“Can you freeze the money?””
“I'll help you report the suspected unauthorized activity. The bank will determine what restrictions it can place on the account.””
I looked at the receipt again.
Twenty thousand dollars.
Richard's money.
The same family that had tried to make me responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars had apparently collected money from another person under a company registered with my identity.
“Danielle, I need to know whether this company has any other obligations.””
“I understand. I'm checking.””
She paused.
“Did you ever give your mother access to your home office?””
I remembered the day she visited.
The missing tax documents.
The spare key.
“Yes.””
“Did she have access to your laptop?””
“Yes. She used it once to print a recipe.””
“Do you know whether your financial documents were stored there?””
“Some were.””
“Change your passwords from a secure device. Contact the relevant financial institutions and tell them your identity information may have been compromised.””
I wrote everything down.
Then I called the bank.
The fraud representative took my report and placed additional security measures on my personal account.
Next, I changed my email password, banking credentials, and account recovery settings.
I also requested copies of my credit reports and placed fraud alerts where available.
By the time I finished, it was nearly midnight.
My phone showed thirty-two missed calls.
Twenty from Mom.
Eight from Claire.
Four from Marcus.
I ignored them.
Then a message arrived from Aunt Linda.
*AUNT LINDA:* Sweetheart, I hope everything is okay. Your mother told us there was a problem with the house. I don't want to interfere, but several of us have already contributed. Can you please tell me what's happening?
I stared at the message.
Aunt Linda had always been kind to me.
She was one of the few relatives who remembered my father's birthday every year.
I called her.
She answered immediately.
“Nia? Thank goodness.””
“Hi, Aunt Linda.””
“Your mother says you're upset about the house.””
“I am. But I need to ask you something. How much money did you send?””
“Five thousand dollars.””
“Did Mom tell you I was buying the property?””
“Yes. She said you wanted to give her a place where everyone could gather.””
I closed my eyes.
“Did she say you were giving the money to me?””
“She said it was a family contribution.””
I swallowed.
“Did she tell you the house would be in my name?””
Aunt Linda hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Did she tell you I'd agreed?””
“Yes, sweetheart. She said you'd been planning it for months.””
I felt tears finally gathering.
“Aunt Linda, I never agreed to buy that house.””
There was silence.
Then she whispered, “Oh, Nia.””
I explained what had happened.
The forged authorization.
The mortgage application.
The company registration.
The deposits.
I didn't exaggerate anything.
I simply told her what I knew.
When I finished, she was quiet for several seconds.
Then she said, “Your mother called me last week and asked me not to mention the money to you.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
“She said she wanted the birthday dinner to be a surprise.””
I looked at the clock.
“What else did she tell you?””
Aunt Linda sighed.
“She said you were planning to announce the house tonight.””
I almost laughed.
The birthday dinner.
The announcement.
The decorative key.
The photographs.
My mother had built an entire celebration around a lie.
Aunt Linda continued.
“I'm going to speak to the others. I want everyone to know the truth.””
“Please don't send any more money.””
“I won't.””
We said goodbye.
A few minutes later, my phone rang again.
This time it was Claire.
I answered.
“What?””
She sounded breathless.
“Nia, you need to come back.””
“Why?””
“Mom is having a breakdown.””
“I'm sorry to hear that.””
“Don't do that. She's crying.””
I closed my eyes.
“Claire, I told you I wasn't buying the house.””
“It's not just about the house anymore.””
“What does that mean?””
“People are asking for their money back.””
I sat up.
“Then return it.””
“We can't.””
“Why not?””
Claire started crying.
“Because some of the money is gone.””
I gripped the phone.
“Where?””
She didn't answer.
“Claire, where is the money?””
“Mom used part of it.””
“For what?””
There was a long pause.
Then she whispered, “To pay Richard's debts.””
I stared at the wall.
Richard's debts.
My mother's boyfriend.
The man she'd promised a house.
The man who had sent twenty thousand dollars to a company bearing my name.
“How much?””
“About eighteen thousand.””
I felt sick.
“And the rest?””
“Mom paid some bills. Marcus borrowed some. I used a little for the event.””
“You used money collected for the house to pay for tonight's birthday dinner?””
“Mom said we'd replace it.””
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“Claire, those people trusted you.””
“I know!””
“Then why did you do it?””
She sobbed.
“Because Mom said you'd eventually pay for everything. She said you always did.””
I ended the call.
For several minutes, I sat without moving.
Then I received an email from Danielle.
The subject line read:
*URGENT: Additional Business Filing Located.*
I opened it.
Attached was a document dated twenty days earlier.
It showed that Carter Family Holdings had applied for a second business account.
The listed purpose was property management.
But the account application contained a second unauthorized signature.
Mine.
And the account had been connected to a commercial credit line.
I called Danielle.
“What's this credit line?””
Her voice was serious.
“That's why I wanted you to call me as soon as you saw the email.””
“How much?””
“Up to $150,000.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
“Has it been used?””
“I'm checking the lender's records.””
May you like
Then she said:
“Nia, I need you to listen carefully. Your mother may have been planning this for much longer than the birthday dinner.””
