There they were—emails, scanned forms, and property records that detailed the transaction. The house that had been Catherine’s legacy—Emma’s inheritance—had been transferred into David’s name. A deed transfer, complete with a notary stamp, and what looked like Emma’s signature.
Except it wasn’t Emma’s signature.
I knew my daughter. I had watched her sign her name a thousand times, every time she wrote a check, signed a form, or made a promise. She was left-handed, and her signature always had a distinct slant. The one on the document was too smooth, too confident, and it leaned in the wrong direction. It was a fake.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.
David had forged Emma’s signature. He had taken control of her inheritance and sold the house for $587,000 in a quick cash transaction. He had wired the money to the Cayman Islands, hiding it offshore to keep it out of Emma’s reach. He had changed the locks while she was at work, leaving her a note about a storage unit and “30 days” to figure things out. Then, without any shame, he had moved into a luxury building downtown with his new girlfriend.
