Chapter 11: The Forty-Five Thousand Dollar Question
I called Daniel immediately.
He answered on the first ring.
"Mom?""
"Did you receive forty-five thousand dollars from Coastal Comfort?""
Silence.
Then he said, "What?""
"Forty-five thousand dollars. There's a bank statement showing a transfer to your account.""
He didn't respond.
"Daniel?""
"I need to check something.""
"What does that mean?""
"Give me a minute.""
I heard him walking.
Then a door closed.
"Mom, I didn't receive forty-five thousand dollars.""
"The statement says otherwise.""
"Send it to me.""
I forwarded the attachment.
Less than two minutes later, he called again.
"That's my old account.""
"What?""
"The account I closed last year.""
I looked at the statement.
The account number was partially visible.
"Are you sure?""
"Yes. I closed it when Harper and I refinanced our house.""
"Then why is there a transfer?""
"I don't know.""
I called Samuel and explained.
He examined the document.
"Barbara, we need to verify whether this is a genuine bank statement.""
"Can you?""
"I'll have my associate contact the institution through the proper channels.""
Daniel arrived at the condo twenty minutes later.
He was carrying his laptop.
He sat at the dining table and opened his banking application.
"Look.""
He showed me the account closure confirmation.
The account had been closed fourteen months earlier.
There was no forty-five-thousand-dollar deposit.
Samuel examined the document again.
"The statement may have been altered, or it may relate to an account that was reopened without Daniel's knowledge.""
Daniel shook his head.
"That can't happen.""
Samuel looked at him.
"Do you still have access to the account?""
"No.""
"Have you received any correspondence from the bank?""
"No.""
"Then we'll need to contact them.""
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"Why would someone put my name on a transfer?""
I looked at him.
"That's what I want to know.""
At 9:30 the following morning, Samuel received a response from his associate.
The bank had confirmed that the document was genuine.
But the account number did not belong to Daniel's old account.
It belonged to a separate account opened under Daniel's name.
The account had been established seven months earlier.
Daniel stared at the email.
"That's impossible.""
Samuel shook his head.
"Apparently, someone opened an account using your personal information.""
Daniel looked at me.
"Harper.""
I didn't answer.
Samuel continued.
"The bank has frozen the account pending verification. We need to determine how the account was opened and who had access to it.""
Daniel stood up.
"I'm calling the bank.""
"Let my office coordinate the documentation," Samuel said.
"You should also file a formal identity theft report.""
Daniel nodded.
He looked devastated.
"Mom, I swear I didn't know.""
I reached for his hand.
"I believe you.""
He sat down.
Then he whispered, "I think Harper used my identity.""
The words were so quiet that I almost didn't hear them.
I looked at Samuel.
He didn't react.
He simply wrote something in his notebook.
"Let's establish the facts first.""
At 11:00, the bank confirmed that the account had been opened online using Daniel's personal details.
The recovery email was not his.
The phone number attached to the account was one he recognized immediately.
Harper's.
Daniel stared at the screen.
"She had access to all my information.""
I thought about the years they had shared.
Their mortgage.
Their insurance.
Their family accounts.
The trust between husband and wife.
It was frightening how easily that trust could be turned into an opportunity.
Samuel asked Daniel to forward the account-opening documents.
Among them was a copy of a driver's license.
Daniel's license.
But the photograph was slightly different.
It was an older version, taken before he grew a beard.
The address was correct.
The identification number was correct.
And the signature was a close copy of his.
"She had my old documents," Daniel whispered.
Samuel closed the file.
"We'll preserve everything and let the appropriate investigators examine it.""
I looked at the bank statement.
The forty-five thousand dollars had been transferred in three installments.
The first was $15,000.
The second was $20,000.
The third was $10,000.
All came from Coastal Comfort.
I asked Samuel whether the money could have been connected to the condo.
"Possibly. We need to trace the source.""
Daniel stared at the transactions.
"Mom, I think I know what happened.""
"What?""
"Harper told me she was helping her father get a business loan. She said they needed a temporary account for some deposits.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Did you agree?""
"No. She never asked.""
"Did she ever ask to use your personal information?""
"No.""
He looked at the screen.
"But she had copies of my identification.""
Samuel made another note.
Then my phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
I answered.
"Hello?""
A woman's voice spoke.
"Mrs. Mitchell? My name is Emily Foster. I stayed at your condo last month.""
I sat straighter.
"How did you get my number?""
"Your building manager gave it to me after I asked who actually owned the property.""
I looked at Samuel.
"All right. What can I do for you?""
"I'm calling because I think you should know what happened.""
I waited.
"Harper told us the condo belonged to her family. She said her husband and his mother were working together to turn it into a vacation rental business.""
Daniel looked up.
Emily continued.
"We paid $3,100 for six nights. We also paid a $500 security deposit.""
I wrote the numbers down.
"Did you receive a refund?""
"No. And when we asked about another reservation, Harper said the condo would be unavailable because the family was preparing to sell it.""
My stomach tightened.
"Did she ever mention a property management company?""
"Yes. Coastal Comfort. She sent us an invoice.""
"Do you still have it?""
"Yes. I can email everything.""
I gave her Samuel's office address.
Then I asked one final question.
"Did Harper ever say anything about me?""
Emily hesitated.
"Yes.""
"What?""
"She said you were an elderly woman who didn't understand technology and that her husband handled the financial side of things.""
I looked down.
Emily added, "I'm sorry. I didn't know it wasn't true.""
I thanked her.
When the call ended, Daniel looked at me.
"Mom, I'm so sorry.""
I nodded.
But I wasn't ready to talk about apologies.
I wanted answers.
At 1:20, Samuel received another email.
This one came from Seaside Capital's attorney.
The company had decided to withdraw from the proposed acquisition.
It was demanding the return of its $20,000 deposit.
Samuel read the message aloud.
Then he looked at me.
"That's good news.""
"Why?""
"Because they are no longer claiming any interest in the property.""
I exhaled.
For the first time in days, I felt a small measure of relief.
Then Daniel's phone rang.
Harper.
He answered.
"Hello.""
Her voice was loud enough for me to hear.
"Daniel, what have you told your mother?""
"The truth.""
"What truth?""
"That you opened an account using my information.""
Silence.
Then Harper said, "You gave me access to everything!""
"I never authorized you to open a bank account.""
"I was trying to help Dad's business!""
"With my name?""
"You don't understand how business works!""
Daniel's voice hardened.
"Then explain the forty-five thousand dollars.""
She hesitated.
"That money was temporary.""
"Where did it come from?""
"Coastal Comfort.""
"Why was it transferred into an account in my name?""
"Because Dad needed somewhere to hold the money.""
Daniel looked at me.
His face had become expressionless.
"Why didn't he use his own account?""
"Because the company was having problems with its bank.""
"Then why use mine?""
Harper's voice rose.
"Because you're my husband! I thought you would help!""
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Did you use my identity without permission?""
She didn't answer.
"Harper?""
Finally, she said, "I did what I had to do.""
Daniel ended the call.
He sat down slowly.
I watched him.
"Are you all right?""
He shook his head.
"No.""
Neither was I.
At 3:15, Samuel received the first formal bank records.
The forty-five thousand dollars had been deposited into the account in Daniel's name.
Then $32,000 had been transferred to another account.
The recipient was Richard Collins.
The remaining $13,000 had been withdrawn through several transactions.
Daniel stared at the statement.
"Why would Richard receive thirty-two thousand dollars?""
Samuel examined the dates.
"These transfers occurred shortly after the Seaside Capital deposit.""
I looked at the figures.
Twenty thousand dollars from the buyer.
Forty-five thousand dollars transferred into Daniel's name.
Thirty-two thousand dollars sent to Richard.
The money trail was beginning to look less like a poorly managed family business and more like a deliberate attempt to disguise where the payments were going.
Then Samuel noticed something.
"Barbara, look at the final transaction.""
It was dated three days before Harper called me.
The description read:
PROPERTY SETTLEMENT — BM.
My initials.
I stared at it.
"BM?""
Samuel nodded.
"Those are your initials.""
"But I never received that money.""
He examined the transaction details.
"The payment description appears to have been entered manually.""
Daniel looked at the screen.
"Someone labeled it as though it were a payment to Mom.""
I felt cold.
And then another email arrived.
This one contained a document from the bank's fraud department.
It showed the person who had authorized the transfer.
The signature was digital.
But the account recovery number belonged to Richard Collins.
Samuel slowly closed his laptop.
"Barbara, I think we now know who was controlling the money.""
I looked at the statement.
Then at Daniel.
And suddenly, I understood why Harper had been so desperate to make me leave the condo that Friday.
She hadn't simply wanted somewhere for her parents to stay.
She had wanted the property available while money was moving through accounts connected to her family.
But there was still one question.
May you like
Why had they transferred money into Daniel's name?
And what were they planning to do with it?
