Chapter 4: The Investigation
Three days later, the real problem surfaced.
My attorney called.
"Amelia."
Her voice sounded unusually serious.
"We found something."
I already knew.
The forged signatures.
The irregular withdrawals.
The missing funds.
But hearing it confirmed still hurt.
Ryan hadn't simply benefited from my assets.
He had accessed accounts he wasn't authorized to touch.
Small amounts at first.
Then larger ones.
Carefully hidden.
Carefully disguised.
Until they weren't.
That evening I placed the evidence in front of him.
Ryan stared at the pages.
His face lost all color.
"I can explain."
"Please do."
"It wasn't stealing."
The word itself told me everything.
I never used it.
He did.
Not borrowing.
Not misunderstanding.
Not confusion.
Stealing.
He knew exactly what he had done.
"Mom needed help."
Of course.
Lorraine again.
Always Lorraine.
The woman who believed the world owed her comfort.
Ryan lowered his head.
"It was supposed to be temporary."
I looked at the evidence.
Dozens of transactions.
May you like
Months of deception.
Temporary wasn't the word I would have chosen.
