Chapter 6 - The Truth at the Marina
The old marina was fourteen minutes away.
The sheriff refused to let Daniel drive.
I rode behind the patrol cars while my son sat rigid beside me, calling Vanessa again and again.
No answer.
I hated her.
I pitied her.
I feared for her.
All three feelings occupied me at once.
When we reached the marina, the gate hung open.
Vanessa's car sat beside the abandoned bait shop.
Driver's door open.
No Vanessa.
A deputy ordered us to remain behind the vehicles.
Daniel ignored him until I caught his wrist.
"Let them work."
"She's my wife."
"And running into danger won't help her."
He looked at me.
I had said wife.
Not that woman.
Not Vanessa.
His wife.
Whatever had happened, she was still a human being who had just called him in fear.
Deputies searched the docks.
Two went inside the bait shop.
Then one shouted.
Daniel tore away from me.
I followed.
Vanessa sat behind the counter.
Barefoot.
Wedding dress stained with dirt.
Her hair had come loose.
She was holding a metal boat hook in both hands.
Nobody was attacking her.
Nobody else was there.
She looked at Daniel.
Then she broke.
"I'm sorry."
He stopped several feet away.
"Who found you?"
"Dad."
"Where is he?"
"He came here ten minutes ago."
"We just left him at the lake."
"He called somebody. They picked him up."
"Did he hurt you?"
"No."
"Then why did you say you weren't safe?"
Vanessa looked toward me.
"Because he told me what would happen if I showed anyone the emails."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"What emails?"
She reached into the bodice of her dress.
A small flash drive appeared in her hand.
She gave it to the deputy.
"My father's company has been in trouble for almost two years."
Gregory's construction business.
Daniel knew something about it.
I could tell from his face.
"How bad?" he asked.
"Bad enough that if the lake project failed, he would lose everything."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because he told me not to."
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"That seems to be a theme."
She flinched.
"He knew your mother owned the last parcel the resort group needed."
I looked at her.
"When?"
"Before I met Daniel."
That changed the air.
Daniel stared.
"What?"
Vanessa shook her head quickly.
"No. I didn't meet you because of this."
"But your father knew who my mother was?"
"Not when we started dating."
"When did he find out?"
"After Christmas."
Our first Christmas.
The boundary joke.
The beginning of the distance.
I felt sick.
Vanessa continued.
"Dad told me Margaret would never sell."
"He was right."
"He said if you inherited it someday, you'd probably sell because you lived in the city."
Daniel stared.
"So you started trying to separate me from Mom."
Her mouth opened.
"No."
"Didn't you?"
"I was jealous."
The answer came so quietly that all of us heard it.
Vanessa looked at me.
"I hated how close you were."
I said nothing.
"You called him and he answered. You needed something and he went. He told stories about you and his father and that lake like his real life happened before I arrived."
Daniel's eyes filled with anger.
"So you punished her."
"Yes."
No excuse.
No denial.
Just yes.
Vanessa looked down.
"The seating chart was me."
I felt the words even though I already knew.
"I wanted her to feel outside."
Daniel turned away.
"I am ashamed of it."
Vanessa's voice cracked.
"I thought if she left angry, Daniel would blame her."
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The complete cruelty of the chair.
Not thoughtlessness.
A trap.
"Why?" Daniel asked.
"Because I was scared."
"Of my mother?"
"Of never mattering as much."
Daniel faced her again.
"So you humiliated her at our wedding."
"Yes."
"And the property?"
Vanessa swallowed.
"After I saw the transfer papers at Margaret's house, I told Dad."
"You searched my study."
She looked at me.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I saw the envelope when I walked past."
"That's not an answer."
"No."
She wiped her face.
"I was looking."
Daniel whispered, "Jesus Christ."
"Dad said if you owned the lake house, we could sell it, pay off part of his debt, and invest the rest."
"Did you agree?"
"At first."
Daniel recoiled as though she had touched him.
"At first?"
"I thought Margaret was already giving it away."
"To me."
"To us."
"No."
Vanessa looked toward me.
"I understand that now."
I almost said something sharp.
I didn't.
There was no satisfaction left.
"What changed?" I asked.
She looked at the flash drive in the deputy's hand.
"I found out Dad had already prepared the authorization."
"The forgery."
"Yes."
"And Melanie?"
"She notarized it."
"Knowingly?"
Vanessa nodded.
A deputy wrote something down.
"What was the other plan?" I asked.
Vanessa began crying again.
"I didn't know until this morning."
Daniel stepped closer.
"What plan?"
"Dad found an old version of Margaret's estate documents."
I frowned.
"My will?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Private investigator."
Daniel swore.
Vanessa continued.
"In the old will, Daniel inherited Lake Marion."
"He still does."
I saw no reason to hide it now.
Vanessa looked at me.
"My father knew."
A terrible thought formed.
"If I didn't give Daniel the house voluntarily..."
Vanessa nodded.
"Dad wanted to pressure you into changing control of the property."
"How?"
"He had people collecting information about your finances. Your taxes. Your medication."
I stiffened.
"I don't take anything except cholesterol medicine."
"I know."
"He planned to claim you were becoming unable to manage the property."
Daniel stared.
"Guardianship?"
"Something like that. His lawyer said it probably wouldn't work. But Dad thought the threat might scare her into selling."
My knees weakened.
I sat on an old wooden bench.
The seat beside the trash no longer felt like the worst thing Vanessa had done.
It hadn't even been close.
Daniel crouched in front of me.
"Mom."
"I'm fine."
"You aren't."
"No."
I looked at Vanessa.
"Did you participate?"
She shook her head violently.
"No. I swear. I didn't know about that."
"Did you know about the forged signature?"
"Not until yesterday."
"Did you tell anyone?"
"No."
"Why?"
Her answer took too long.
"Because I was afraid Daniel would leave me."
Daniel closed his eyes.
She whispered, "And now he should."
Nobody spoke.
The deputy carrying the flash drive approached.
"We have enough here to contact financial crimes and the county prosecutor."
"What about Gregory?" Daniel asked.
"We're locating him."
My phone rang.
Eleanor.
I answered.
"Margaret, where are you?"
"At the marina."
"You're with law enforcement?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"What happened?"
"I found the original source document used to create your forged signature."
My mouth went dry.
"Where?"
"Your transfer package."
"I don't understand."
"The signature wasn't copied from an old check or deed."
"Then from what?"
"From the transfer deed you signed for Daniel."
I stood.
"But nobody had that until yesterday."
"Someone photographed it before the wedding."
Vanessa covered her mouth.
I looked at her.
She whispered, "My father."
Eleanor continued.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The title company forwarded me their complete communication file."
I waited.
"The forged authorization was emailed from Gregory Shaw's office."
That was expected now.
"But the cover message came from Vanessa's account."
Daniel looked at her.
Her face went blank.
"No."
Eleanor heard her.
"I have the header data."
Vanessa shook her head.
"No. I didn't send it."
Daniel stood.
"Vanessa."
"I didn't."
"Then who used your account?"
She stopped.
Her eyes slowly widened.
"My father knew my password."
Before anyone could answer, one of the deputies shouted from outside.
"Vehicle coming in!"
We turned.
A black pickup entered through the open gate.
It stopped hard beside the patrol cars.
The driver's door opened.
Gregory Shaw stepped out.
Both hands raised.
But he wasn't alone.
A woman climbed from the passenger side.
Melanie Shaw.
The notary.
She held a thick folder against her chest.
Gregory looked directly at Vanessa.
Then at me.
"I came back because my sister has something you all need to see."
Melanie opened the folder.
The first page contained my forged signature.
May you like
The second contained Vanessa's.
And the third contained Daniel's.
