Chapter 7: The Man Across the Street
Daniel didn't move away from the window.
"You're sure?""
Chloe nodded.
"That's Victor.""
Naomi's eyes stayed on the man beside the SUV.
He looked ordinary.
That frightened her more than if he'd looked threatening.
Dark jacket. Gray shirt. Expensive shoes.
Maybe fifty years old. Calm posture.
He wasn't pounding on the door.
He wasn't shouting.
He simply stood across the street staring at the house.
Waiting.
Daniel closed the curtain.
"Both of you downstairs.""
"Dad—"
"Now, Naomi.""
Something in his voice made her obey.
Chloe followed.
Daniel carried the gray box with him.
When they reached the living room, he placed it on the dining table and immediately locked the front door.
"Stay away from the windows.""
Chloe's phone buzzed again.
Melissa.
ANSWER ME.
Then:
BRING ME THE BOX AND I WILL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING.
Chloe looked at Daniel.
"What should I say?""
"Nothing.""
Another message arrived.
PLEASE, CHLOE.
Then:
THIS IS BIGGER THAN YOU THINK.
Naomi stared at the screen.
"She knows Victor is outside.""
Daniel nodded.
"Probably.""
"Why would she send him here?""
"Maybe she didn't.""
That possibility made the room feel colder.
Daniel picked up his phone.
"I'm calling the police.""
Chloe immediately looked frightened.
"Will Mom get arrested?""
Daniel paused.
"I don't know.""
"Daniel—"
"I'm not going to lie to you.""
Chloe's eyes filled with tears.
"If she committed crimes, there may be consequences.""
Naomi watched Chloe absorb that.
Then Daniel made the call.
He explained that an unknown man connected to a financial dispute was parked outside the house and that there were suspected fraudulent documents involving his minor daughter's trust.
The dispatcher told him officers were being sent.
Daniel ended the call.
The doorbell rang.
All three froze.
Once.
Then again.
Naomi's heart hammered.
Daniel walked toward the door but didn't open it.
"Who is it?""
A man's voice answered.
"Victor Hale.""
Chloe gripped Naomi's arm.
Daniel looked at her hand.
For once, Naomi didn't pull away.
"What do you want?"" Daniel asked.
"I need to speak with Melissa.""
"She's not here.""
"I know.""
Daniel's expression changed.
"Then why are you here?""
"Because she has something that belongs to me.""
Daniel looked toward the gray box.
"What?""
"Open the door and we can discuss it.""
"No.""
Victor was silent for several seconds.
Then he said, "Mr. Parker, I'm not here to hurt anyone.""
"Good. Then leave.""
"I can't.""
Daniel's voice hardened.
"You can.""
Victor sighed.
"Melissa owes me a significant amount of money.""
"I know.""
Silence outside.
Apparently Victor hadn't expected that.
"How much do you think she owes me?""
"At least sixty-three thousand five hundred.""
Victor gave a humorless laugh.
"Then you don't know.""
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"How much?""
"Open the door.""
"No.""
Another pause.
"One hundred eighty-seven thousand.""
Chloe made a small sound.
Naomi stared at the door.
Daniel's face went completely still.
"Say that again.""
"Your wife owes me one hundred eighty-seven thousand dollars.""
"Why?""
"Business loans.""
"Why would you lend Melissa that much?""
"Because she showed me assets.""
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"What assets?""
Victor answered.
"Your daughter's trust.""
Naomi felt Chloe's grip tighten around her arm.
Daniel's voice dropped.
"That isn't Melissa's asset.""
"I understand that now.""
"You should have understood it before giving her money.""
"She provided documentation identifying herself as incoming trustee.""
Daniel looked at the torn papers on the table.
"Forged documentation.""
"So I've recently discovered.""
Naomi stepped closer to her father.
Victor continued.
"She told me the transfer would be finalized this month.""
"The transfer isn't happening.""
"I assumed as much when my attorney called me twenty minutes ago.""
Daniel frowned.
"Then why are you outside my house?""
"Because Melissa told me the original agreements were in a gray storage box.""
Everyone looked at the box.
Daniel's eyes hardened.
"How do you know the box is here?""
"She told me.""
"When?""
"Ten minutes ago.""
Daniel looked at Chloe's phone.
Melissa was communicating with both of them.
Playing both sides.
"What agreements?""
"Loan agreements.""
"With Melissa?""
"Yes.""
"Then why do you need them?""
Victor didn't answer immediately.
Daniel understood.
"They're not only with Melissa.""
Silence.
Daniel's face changed.
"Whose name did she use?""
Victor finally answered.
"Yours.""
Naomi closed her eyes.
Another forged signature.
Another lie.
Daniel's voice was ice.
"I never borrowed money from you.""
"I believe that.""
"Do you?""
"I didn't when I issued the loans.""
"How much supposedly came from me?""
"Most of it.""
Daniel pressed his forehead briefly against the door.
"You lent nearly two hundred thousand dollars based on signatures you never verified?""
"I verified documents.""
"Badly.""
Victor's voice sharpened slightly.
"I'm not asking for financial advice, Mr. Parker.""
"And I'm not giving you my daughter's trust.""
"I didn't ask you to.""
"You submitted a request for two hundred seventy-five thousand dollars.""
Silence.
Naomi looked at her father.
Victor's voice became quieter.
"How do you know about that?""
"My attorney found it.""
"That request wasn't supposed to be submitted.""
Daniel almost laughed.
"It was.""
"Melissa told me she'd withdrawn it.""
"She lied.""
Victor cursed under his breath.
Daniel continued.
"Apparently that's something she does.""
There was movement outside.
Naomi's pulse spiked.
Then Victor said, "I'm leaving.""
"Good.""
"But you need to understand something.""
Daniel waited.
"Melissa isn't trying to pay only me.""
"What does that mean?""
"She borrowed elsewhere.""
Daniel closed his eyes.
"How much?""
"I don't know.""
"From whom?""
"I know of at least two private lenders.""
Naomi whispered, "Oh my God.""
Victor heard something through the door.
"Is Naomi there?""
Daniel's entire posture changed.
"Do not say my daughter's name.""
"I wasn't threatening her.""
"Then don't say it.""
Victor went quiet.
A second later, red and blue lights washed across the living room wall.
Police.
Naomi exhaled for what felt like the first time in minutes.
Victor spoke quickly.
"I'll cooperate.""
Daniel said nothing.
"I didn't know the signatures were forged.""
"Tell them.""
Footsteps moved away from the porch.
Daniel waited until an officer knocked and identified himself before opening the door.
Two officers stood outside.
Victor remained near the sidewalk with his hands visible.
For the next thirty minutes, the living room became something Naomi never imagined.
Questions.
Names.
Documents.
Dates.
Daniel showed the officers the forged trust forms, Melissa's messages, the gray box, and the financial records.
Victor voluntarily showed them loan documents on his phone.
The officers explained that financial crimes would require investigation and likely involvement from detectives.
Nobody was being arrested on the spot.
Naomi wasn't sure whether she felt relieved or disappointed.
Victor eventually left after giving his information.
The officers left shortly afterward.
Daniel locked the door.
Chloe collapsed onto the sofa.
"I ruined everything.""
Naomi looked at her.
"You didn't do all this.""
"I helped.""
"You forged Dad's signature.""
"I know.""
Daniel sat across from her.
"Why?""
Chloe started crying.
"Because Mom said you already agreed.""
"You said that before.""
"She showed me texts.""
Daniel frowned.
"What texts?""
"Messages from you.""
"I never sent any.""
"I know that now.""
Chloe took out her phone.
"She showed me screenshots.""
Daniel held out his hand.
"Do you still have them?""
"Maybe.""
Chloe searched.
Then she found one.
Daniel read it.
His face tightened.
The screenshot showed an apparent conversation between him and Melissa.
DANIEL: Go ahead with the trustee change. I don't have time to deal with Naomi's accounts anymore.
MELISSA: Are you sure?
DANIEL: Yes. Do whatever needs to be done.
Naomi stared.
"You never wrote that?""
"Absolutely not.""
Chloe began sobbing.
"She showed me that before asking me to sign your name.""
Daniel handed the phone back.
"Send it to me.""
She did.
Naomi sat beside Chloe.
"Why did you hate me so much?""
Chloe looked up.
The question seemed to hurt more than anger would have.
"I didn't.""
"You acted like you did.""
"I was jealous.""
"Of what?""
"Everything.""
Naomi almost laughed.
"What everything?""
Chloe looked toward the trophy shelf.
"Your grades. Your awards. Teachers loved you. Dad bragged about you.""
"Daniel bragged about you too.""
"Not the same way.""
Naomi frowned.
Chloe wiped her cheeks.
"My biological dad barely calls me.""
Naomi's anger softened slightly.
Chloe continued.
"Then Daniel came into my life and he actually showed up. Games. Parent nights. Birthdays.""
Daniel looked down.
"And I kept thinking eventually he'd love me the way he loved you.""
Daniel's expression broke.
"Chloe.""
"I know it's stupid.""
"It isn't.""
She looked at him.
"I never wanted to replace your father. But I have loved you like family.""
Chloe cried harder.
Naomi watched them.
So much damage had grown from comparisons nobody needed to make.
Rachel versus Melissa.
Naomi versus Chloe.
Biological daughter versus stepdaughter.
One shelf had become a battlefield.
Daniel's phone rang again.
Richard.
He answered.
"What now?""
Richard didn't waste time.
"I've reviewed the documents you sent.""
"And?""
"You need to secure that gray box.""
"It's beside me.""
"Don't alter anything.""
"Okay.""
"There are several things inside that could become evidence.""
Daniel glanced at Naomi.
"What did you find?""
"The $275,000 distribution request wasn't accepted.""
Naomi exhaled.
"Thank God," Daniel whispered.
"But someone made another attempt.""
Daniel stiffened.
"When?""
"This afternoon.""
Naomi stared at him.
While she had been standing in the living room arguing about trophies, someone had been trying to access her trust.
"How much?"" Daniel asked.
"Not a distribution.""
"What then?""
"A request to change the beneficiary's mailing address and contact information.""
Naomi frowned.
"Why?""
Richard answered through the speaker.
"If successful, future notices might have gone somewhere other than this house.""
Daniel looked at Melissa's empty chair.
"Where?""
Richard gave an address.
Daniel didn't recognize it.
Chloe did.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
Naomi turned.
"What?""
Chloe whispered, "That's Mom's apartment.""
Daniel stared at her.
"What apartment?""
Chloe's face went white.
"The one downtown.""
Naomi felt another wave of disbelief.
Daniel spoke slowly.
"Melissa has an apartment?""
Chloe nodded.
"She told me you knew.""
"How long?""
"Maybe eight months.""
Daniel stood.
"Why does she have an apartment?""
"She said it was for the boutique.""
Daniel looked toward the business statements.
"Address.""
Chloe gave it to him.
Daniel wrote it down.
Then Chloe suddenly frowned.
"Wait.""
"What?""
"Mom doesn't sleep there.""
Daniel stared.
"How do you know?""
"I've been there.""
"What is it?""
"Mostly storage. Clothes. Boxes. Business stuff.""
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Anything else?""
Chloe thought.
Then her face changed.
"There's a filing cabinet.""
Naomi felt her stomach tighten.
"What kind?""
"Locked.""
Daniel looked at Richard's call still on speaker.
"Richard?""
"I heard.""
Daniel grabbed his keys.
"I'm going there.""
Richard immediately responded.
"Don't.""
Daniel stopped.
"If Melissa is under investigation and you don't own or lease that apartment, don't enter without permission.""
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"So we wait?""
"We preserve what we have and do this correctly.""
Naomi understood his frustration.
Somewhere across Columbus, there might be a filing cabinet containing the rest of the answers.
But they couldn't simply break in.
Chloe stared at her phone.
Then whispered, "Maybe we don't have to.""
Daniel looked at her.
"What?""
"I know the landlord.""
"How?""
"Mom made me pick up packages there.""
Daniel shook his head.
"That still doesn't give us permission.""
"No.""
Chloe swallowed.
"But my name is on the lease.""
Silence.
Daniel stared at her.
"What?""
"Mom said it was because she wanted to build my rental history.""
"You're seventeen.""
"I know.""
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Did you sign it?""
Chloe nodded slowly.
"She said it was for after graduation.""
Naomi and Daniel exchanged a look.
Another signature.
Another document Chloe hadn't fully understood.
Daniel asked, "Do you have a copy?""
"In my email.""
She searched.
Then froze.
"What?""
Chloe turned the screen around.
The lease listed two tenants.
Melissa Parker.
Chloe Bennett.
But beneath the document was another attachment Chloe had never opened.
PERSONAL GUARANTEE.
Daniel opened it.
His face went rigid.
The guarantor's name was Daniel Parker.
His signature appeared at the bottom.
Chloe began shaking.
"I didn't do that one.""
Daniel looked at her.
"I believe you.""
Naomi stared at the signature.
Melissa hadn't needed Chloe for every forgery.
Which meant someone else had helped.
Daniel's phone buzzed with an incoming email.
Eric.
The subject line contained only three words:
YOU NEED THIS.
Daniel opened the attachment.
It was an audio file.
He pressed play.
Melissa's voice filled the room.
"If Daniel finds out before the transfer, everything collapses.""
Then a man's voice answered.
Not Eric.
Not Victor.
Naomi didn't recognize it.
"We only need his signature one more time.""
Melissa replied:
"And Naomi's?""
The man laughed.
"We already have enough samples of hers.""
Naomi's blood went cold.
The recording continued.
Melissa lowered her voice.
"Once the trust moves, how fast can we empty it?""
The man answered.
"Forty-eight hours.""
Daniel stopped the recording.
Nobody spoke.
Then Naomi noticed the timestamp.
Three months earlier.
Long before the broken trophies.
Long before the ten-thousand-dollar prize.
Long before today's fight.
Melissa had been planning this for months.
Daniel replayed the unknown man's voice.
Chloe suddenly looked up.
"I know him.""
Daniel froze.
"Who?""
May you like
Chloe swallowed.
"Mom's lawyer.""
