Chapter 7 - Deeper Secrets
Z
The dining room fell so silent you could hear the ice cubes melting in Kevin's scotch glass.
Lorraine gasped, nearly dropping her wine bottle. "Mom?! What... what are you doing here?"
"David told me you were having a family gathering to discuss my mental health," I said, walking gracefully into the room and setting the warm cobbler down on the sideboard. "I thought it would be much more efficient if I were present to answer any medical questions directly. After all, I did spend thirty-four years working as a registered nurse."
Aunt Pauline looked between me and Lorraine, her expression shifting from confusion to anger. "Lorraine, you told us Dorothy was bedridden and refusing to talk to anyone!"
"She's manipulating you!" Kevin blurted out, stepping forward, his face flushed. "Dorothy, you sold a property worth millions for a cheap payout because you wanted to hurt Lorraine!"
"I sold the property for $1.2 million," I corrected him calmly, pulling a neatly organized manila folder from my handbag. "Which brings me to the real reason why you were so desperate to get your hands on that deed, Kevin."
Kevin’s eyes widened in sudden panic. "What are you talking about?"
"When Grace Okafor prepared the sale of the lake house," I explained, pulling out a set of financial audit documents, "we had to perform a full title search and lien audit on the property to ensure the title was clean. Imagine my surprise when the county title company flagged three separate fraudulent loan applications filed in my name over the last six months."
The room gasped. Aunt Pauline turned her head sharply toward Kevin.
"What?" Lorraine stammered, looking at her husband. "Kevin... what is she talking about?"
"Your husband," I said, looking directly at Kevin, "attempted to forge my signature on an equity line of credit against the lake house for $350,000. When the bank denied the application because they required my physical presence and photo ID, Kevin realized the only way he could access that money was if I transferred the deed directly into your names."
"You lying old bitch!" Kevin shouted, dropping all pretense of civility as he lunged toward the table.
"KEVIN!" Uncle Richard roared, standing up from his chair and slamming his hands on the table. "You lower your voice right now!"
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"Show them the bank statements, Dorothy," Grace Okafor’s voice suddenly rang out from the front entryway. She had walked in right behind me, holding her briefcase.
"Grace examined the paperwork," I continued. "Kevin’s tech firm in downtown Atlanta didn't just 'have a slow quarter.' It was facing bankruptcy. He was skimming funds, and he needed $350,000 to cover his tracks before his partners audited his accounts at the end of July. You didn't want the lake house for family memories, Lorraine. Your husband wanted it as collateral to keep himself out of federal prison."
