Chapter 7 - Rachel’s office
By six that evening, we were in Rachel Danner’s Charlotte office.
Me.
Emily.
A detective from the sheriff’s office joined briefly by video.
Rachel had pulled public records.
The chain was worse than we knew.
Original title:
Thomas Hale and Elaine Hale, husband and wife.
After Elaine died, North Carolina law and our deed structure left her interest passing according to survivorship provisions? No. Our title had been structured with right of survivorship under a tenancy by the entirety because we were married.
That mattered.
When Elaine died, I became sole owner automatically, subject to record evidence of her death.
I had never recorded a new deed because I did not need one to become owner.
My attorney had recently been preparing a confirmatory affidavit.
The forged quitclaim deed was dated five months earlier.
Grantors:
Thomas W. Hale and Elaine M. Hale.
Grantee:
Blue Heron Ventures LLC.
Consideration:
Ten dollars and other valuable consideration.
Not unusual language.
Signatures looked copied from an old deed.
Not perfectly.
Close.
A notary acknowledgment stated we both personally appeared before a North Carolina notary named Paige Larkin.
Rachel said:
“I called the Secretary of State database.”
“And?”
“There is a Paige Larkin.”
My stomach tightened.
“Real notary?”
“Yes.”
“Did she notarize this?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Emily asked:
“Who owns Blue Heron?”
Rachel turned her screen.
Manager:
Derek Mercer.
Member:
Derek Mercer.
Registered office:
Mercer BuildWorks.
Emily put a hand over her mouth.
Then the next record.
Four days after forged deed:
Blue Heron Ventures executed a deed of trust securing $286,000 from Pinecrest Private Capital.
Derek signed as manager.
Loan maturity:
Twelve months.
Interest:
12.5 percent.
Hard-money terms.
Then three days before my arrival:
Blue Heron quitclaimed cabin to Ron and Linda, expressly “subject to existing encumbrances.”
Rachel said:
“Ron’s deed did not clear the loan.”
Emily whispered:
“Why would Derek give his parents a property with a loan on it?”
Rachel answered:
“That is one of several questions.”
I asked:
“Where did the loan money go?”
“We need bank records.”
Emily looked at me.
“Dad.”
“What?”
“Derek told me BuildWorks got a new investor in February.”
The loan had funded in February.
Five months earlier.
I felt cold.
“What amount?”
“He said around three hundred thousand.”
There.
May you like
Not proof.
A line.
