Chapter 17 - THE DOCUMENT RICHARD NEEDED
Police recovered Mark’s stolen laptop from Richard’s SUV under warrant related to alleged theft of estate property and evidence tampering.
Richard had deleted files.
Digital forensics recovered many.
One folder:
410 LOAN.
Inside:
Bank records from fourteen years earlier.
Richard did not transfer $410,000 to Mark.
Bennett Descendants Trust did.
Distribution authorization:
Gift for primary residence.
No repayment required.
Approved by Mark’s grandfather before death.
Richard had later reclassified it in family spreadsheets as:
Advance attributable to Richard branch.
Then:
Loan.
Then:
Debt.
Language evolved over years.
Money stayed same.
He had turned a gift into an obligation through repetition.
The original authorization was the document he needed removed from Mark’s office.
But Mark had copies.
Dana had one.
May you like
Safe-deposit box had another.
Richard’s search was already too late.
