Chapter 4 - DANA MERCER
Dana arrived at my sister Nicole’s house at 7:40 the following morning.
Forty-six.
Dark suit.
No sympathy voice.
I appreciated that.
She placed a key on the kitchen table.
“Frank’s case.”
“Why did Mark have a lawyer I didn’t know about?”
“You knew about me.”
“No.”
“He mentioned estate planning?”
“Yes.”
“I’m the lawyer.”
I stared.
“Mark said the hospital had somebody update his will.”
“That was me.”
“He said basic documents.”
Dana looked uncomfortable.
“Mark asked me not to discuss details unless he became incapable or died.”
Anger rose.
“He was my husband.”
“I know.”
“Then why keep secrets?”
“Because my client instructed me to.”
That answer was infuriatingly correct.
She opened Frank’s metal case.
Inside:
Sealed document packets.
A USB drive.
Photographs.
A small notebook.
Copy of a deed.
Dana slid one page toward me.
“Before anything else, this.”
CERTIFICATE OF TRUST OWNERSHIP.
The property at our address had been transferred eleven months earlier to:
MB Survivor Residence Trust.
Trustee:
Cascade National Trust Company.
Current occupancy beneficiaries:
Laura Bennett.
Noah Bennett.
Sophie Bennett.
I looked up.
“The house isn’t Mark’s?”
“Not individually.”
“Then Richard can’t inherit it.”
“That is my preliminary position.”
“His agreement?”
“I need the original.”
“Signature looked real.”
“It may be.”
“What does that mean?”
“People can sign invalid agreements.”
“Did Mark owe him $387,000?”
Dana paused.
“That is more complicated.”
Of course.
“What am I allowed to know now?”
“Everything that affects you.”
“Finally.”
She continued.
“The trust deed was recorded.”
“Publicly?”
“Yes.”
“Then how did Richard get a locksmith to change locks?”
“By showing incomplete paperwork or finding a locksmith who failed to verify.”
“Can we go home?”
“Likely, but I want a court order or written agreement before confrontation.”
“Why?”
“Because Richard is already alleging conflicting ownership.”
Dana tapped the metal case.
“And because Mark believed he might try more than changing locks.”
“What?”
She did not answer directly.
Instead she handed me the notebook.
First page.
Mark’s handwriting:
If Dad produces the debt agreement, do not assume the signature is forged.
My stomach tightened.
Next line:
The signature is mine.
May you like
I looked at Dana.
“What the hell did my husband sign?”
