Chapter 4: The Contingency
I read the email three times.
Then I called Grace back.
She picked up before the first ring finished.
I read her the email out loud, slowly, so she could take notes.
"They have a notary booked," she said.
"Nine a.m."
"Yes."
"Charlotte, this is no longer just a civil matter.
What you're describing is document fraud and forgery.
I need you to call Detective Reyes at the San Bernardino financial crimes unit.
Tonight.
I'll text you his number."
"Tonight?"
"If they file those documents in the morning, reversing it becomes significantly harder.
We need a record of this email timestamped before that appointment."
I wrote down the number.
I made the call.
Detective Reyes was calm and methodical.
He asked me to forward the Caldwell email, the deed change, and the financing applications.
He told me to stay where I was and not to contact Brandon or anyone in the household.
"Do they know you've seen the email?" he asked.
"No.
It was CC'd to my work address by mistake."
"Good.
Keep it that way."
I sat on the edge of the hotel bed after I hung up.
Skylar was asleep in the other bed, one arm curled under her pillow.
I watched her breathe for a moment.
My phone lit up.
Brandon again.
This time I answered.
"Where are you?" he said.
"Somewhere safe."
"Charlotte, you are blowing this completely out of proportion.
The renovation is a financial decision.
I was going to explain it to you when the details were finalized."
"You removed my name from the deed, Brandon."
A pause.
Short, but there.
"That was a paperwork issue.
It's being corrected."
"By forging my signature tomorrow morning?"
The silence this time was longer.
"I don't know what you think you found," he said, "but you need to be very careful about the accusations you're making."
"I'm not making accusations.
I'm reading an email."
"Caldwell made an error.
That email was not meant for you."
"I know it wasn't."
"Charlotte." His voice shifted.
Lower.
Slower.
"I need you to think about Skylar.
About what happens to her if you turn this into something ugly.
She needs stability.
She needs her family together.
If you go down this road, you will hurt her far more than anyone else."
My hand tightened around the phone.
"Don't," I said.
"I'm serious.
Think about what a custody dispute does to a child her age.
Think about what it does to her school, her friends, her sense of security.
You want to protect her?
Then come home.
We'll talk.
We'll fix this quietly."
"You used our daughter as a reason to keep me quiet while you st**le our house."
"I didn't st**le anything.
My name is on that deed.
It's my house too."
"It was our house.
My income paid for it.
My credit secured it.
And my name was removed without my knowledge or consent."
"Charlotte—"
"The notary appointment has already been reported," I said.
"Don't go."
The line went dead.
I set the phone down.
My hands were steady.
I noticed that and found it strange.
Then a text arrived from Hailey.
*"I don't know what Brandon told you but I want you to know I had nothing to do with the house stuff.
I just did the social media.
Please don't punish me for what he did."*
I stared at it.
Then another message, thirty seconds later.
*"Also there's something you should know about Caldwell.
He's done this before.
With another family.
May you like
Brandon knows.
He knew before he hired him."*
