Chapter 7: The Name on the First Withdrawal
“Renee's name?”” I repeated.
Margaret Ellis was still on the phone, but I could barely hear her over the pounding of my heart.
“Yes,” she said.
“The first suspicious transfer was processed eleven days before Renee died. It was authorized under her name, but the signature on the transaction does not match the signature in her trust documents.””
I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter.
“Are you saying someone forged my daughter-in-law's signature while she was dying?””
“I'm saying the records raise that possibility. We need the original documents examined before we reach that conclusion.””
“Who received the money?””
Margaret hesitated.
“The transfer went to an account associated with a company called Reed Family Services.””
I closed my eyes.
Reed.
Tasha's last name.
“Was the company registered to Tasha?””
“Not directly. The preliminary records list a different person as the original owner. We are checking the corporate filings now.””
I called Malcolm into the kitchen.
He had been helping Isaiah finish a school assignment at the dining table. When he saw my face, he excused himself from his son and came over.
“What happened?””
I put Margaret on speaker.
She explained everything again, including the name of the company and the date of the first transfer.
Malcolm listened without moving.
Then he said, “Mom, that was before Tasha and I got married.””
“Yes,” Margaret replied.
“Before we were even engaged.””
“Correct.””
He looked at me.
“Then how could she have been involved?””
I remembered the photograph of the envelope, the suspicious signature, and Tasha's strange insistence that Renee had left nothing important behind.
“Maybe she wasn't involved at the beginning,” I said.
“Maybe someone else was.””
Margaret agreed that we shouldn't assume the recipient's identity established who had initiated the transaction.
She promised to send the documents to David for review.
After the call, Malcolm pulled out a chair and sat down.
For several minutes, he stared at the table.
“I keep thinking about the last week Renee was alive,” he said.
“She asked me whether I'd given anyone permission to manage her affairs.””
“What did you tell her?””
“I said no. She asked again, and I told her I had signed some routine paperwork because the hospital needed financial information.””
I sat opposite him.
“Do you remember what you signed?””
“Not exactly. There were insurance forms, medical authorizations, paperwork for the house. I was exhausted.””
His voice cracked.
“She asked whether I'd read everything. I told her I trusted the people helping us.””
“Who was helping you?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“The hospital social worker. A woman from the insurance company. Renee's cousin, Daniel, visited several times. And there was someone from the family foundation who offered to help organize the trust.””
“Daniel?””
Malcolm nodded.
“Renee's cousin. He handled some of her mother's estate paperwork years ago.””
I felt a chill.
“Did he have access to Renee's financial records?””
“I don't know.””
Malcolm immediately called David and told him about Daniel.
David asked for the cousin's full name, the dates of his visits, and any paperwork he might have handled.
After the call, Malcolm leaned back.
“Daniel was the one who introduced me to Tasha.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“They met through a business networking group. Daniel said she was good with finances and had helped several families organize their estates.””
The room seemed to shrink around us.
“Did Daniel know about Isaiah's trust?””
“He knew Renee had set money aside for Isaiah. I mentioned it once when we were discussing the funeral expenses.””
“And did he know where the account was held?””
Malcolm nodded slowly.
“I showed him the paperwork because he offered to help me understand the investment statements.””
I stood and walked to the window.
For two years, I had believed the story of our family's troubles began when Tasha moved into Malcolm's house.
Now the evidence suggested that the first suspicious transaction had occurred before Tasha became his wife, perhaps before she had even met him.
Someone had known about Renee's plans.
Someone had known about the money.
And someone had begun moving it while she was still alive.
My phone rang.
Margaret had sent a scanned document.
The first page showed the disputed transfer. The second contained a corporate registration record for Reed Family Services.
The company had been formed three months before Renee's death.
Its registered agent was a law firm.
Its original director was Daniel Mercer.
Renee's cousin.
I called Malcolm back into the kitchen and showed him the screen.
He stared at the name.
“Daniel?””
“Do you know where he is now?””
“He moved to Arizona about a year ago. We haven't spoken much since Renee's funeral.””
“Why not?””
Malcolm looked uncomfortable.
“He asked me for a loan. I refused because I was paying medical bills and trying to support Isaiah. After that, he said I had changed.””
I studied the registration record.
“Did he ever repay the money he borrowed from Renee?””
Malcolm frowned.
“What money?””
I turned the screen toward him.
A second document had arrived from Margaret. It was an old transaction summary showing a transfer from Renee's personal account to a business account associated with Daniel.
The amount was $8,000.
The date was six months before Renee died.
Malcolm shook his head.
“I never knew about that.””
I felt the floor shift beneath me.
If Daniel had borrowed money from Renee, established a company, and later become involved in paperwork concerning Isaiah's trust, then perhaps the missing funds had been moving through more than one account.
But we still didn't know why Renee had allowed the first transfer or whether it had been legitimate.
We needed the original records.
The next morning, Malcolm and I met David at his office. He had already begun requesting documentation from the bank and the company registry.
He placed three folders on the conference table.
“Here is what we can establish so far,” he said.
“Renee created a protected trust for Isaiah. A transfer was made from an account associated with that trust shortly before her death. The receiving company was registered to Daniel Mercer. Later transactions appear to have involved an account associated with Tasha.””
“Does that mean they were working together?”” Malcolm asked.
“Not yet. It means the transactions require investigation.””
David opened the first folder.
“We also have the photograph Tasha sent you, the threatening messages, and the disputed authorization bearing your signature. Those records should be preserved in their original form.””
“What about the storage unit?”” I asked.
“We have requested that the facility preserve the lease and access records. We cannot simply enter the unit, but the documents may help establish who had possession of Renee's property.””
Malcolm leaned forward.
“How quickly can we get the trust protected?””
“We have begun that process. Margaret is reviewing her authority as trustee, and we are seeking to prevent further unauthorized transfers.””
I watched David carefully.
“Do you think Renee knew Daniel was involved?””
He opened a final envelope.
“This is a copy of a letter Renee wrote to her attorney shortly before her death. It was retained in her estate file.””
He slid it across the table.
The letter was dated nine days before the first suspicious transfer.
I read the opening paragraph.
I am concerned that Daniel has been discussing Isaiah's inheritance with people who have no legitimate reason to know the details. He says he is trying to help, but I have not authorized him to make changes to the trust.
The next paragraph made my hands tremble.
If anything happens to me before this is resolved, please ensure that Malcolm receives a full accounting of every transaction. I do not want him blamed for decisions he did not make.
Malcolm covered his mouth.
“He knew,” he whispered.
“Daniel knew what she wanted.””
David continued reading.
I have asked him to return the documents he borrowed. He insists he has done nothing wrong. I no longer know whether I can trust him.
At the bottom of the page, Renee had added a handwritten note.
The original envelope for Isaiah contains the names of the people who helped me prepare the trust. Please make sure it reaches him.
I looked at Malcolm.
The envelope wasn't merely a personal letter.
It contained names.
Possibly the names of everyone who had handled Renee's financial arrangements before she died.
Tasha had possession of it.
Daniel had established the company that received the first suspicious transfer.
And the disputed authorization bore Malcolm's signature.
Someone had constructed a paper trail that could make it appear as though Malcolm himself had approved the withdrawals.
David closed the folder.
“We need to move carefully. If the signature was forged, the original document may be critical evidence. We also need to know whether Daniel and Tasha communicated about these transactions.””
Malcolm stood.
“Then let's find out.””
His phone rang before he could take another step.
The caller ID displayed a number with an Arizona area code.
He answered.
“Hello?””
A man's voice came through the speaker.
“Malcolm? It's Daniel.””
My son went rigid.
“Why are you calling me?””
“I heard you've been asking questions about Renee's trust.””
Malcolm glanced at David.
“Who told you that?””
“People talk. Listen, I don't want this to become a bigger mess than it needs to be.””
“Did you take money from Renee's account?””
Silence.
Then Daniel sighed.
“Renee asked me to help with the paperwork. I did what she wanted.””
“She wrote that she never authorized you to change the trust.””
“She was sick, Malcolm. She was frightened. She changed her mind about things constantly.””
Malcolm's voice rose.
“Don't you dare use her illness to excuse what happened.””
“I'm not excusing anything. I'm telling you that you don't understand the situation.””
“Then explain the transfers.””
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Meet me in person. Bring the documents you found, and I'll tell you what Renee was really trying to protect Isaiah from.””
“Why can't you tell me now?””
“Because Tasha isn't the only person who knows what was in that envelope.””
The call ended.
Malcolm stood in stunned silence.
David immediately advised him not to arrange a private meeting without legal guidance.
But I was thinking about something else.
Daniel had known about the envelope.
He had known about the trust.
And he had called us before we had contacted him directly.
Someone had told him we were investigating.
Someone close enough to know what we had found.
I turned toward Malcolm.
“Did you tell anyone about the letter besides David and Margaret?””
“No.””
“Did Margaret contact Daniel?””
“Not that I know of.””
David looked at his notes.
“I haven't contacted him yet.””
Then Malcolm's phone buzzed.
A message from Daniel appeared.
It contained a single photograph.
Renee was sitting in a hospital bed, holding a newborn Isaiah against her chest. Beside her stood Daniel, smiling at the camera.
On the back of the photograph, someone had written a sentence in blue ink.
*The money was never supposed to belong to Isaiah alone.*
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And beneath it was a second sentence.
*Ask Malcolm what he promised Renee before she died.*
