Chapter 8: The Woman in the Red Coat
I called the number that had sent the photograph.
It rang four times before a woman answered.
"Hello?""
"Who is this?""
A pause.
"My name is Lauren.""
"How do you know my husband?""
Another silence.
Then she said, "I was hoping you would ask.""
Daniel motioned for me to put the call on speaker.
I did.
Lauren's voice was controlled, but I could hear the strain beneath it.
"I met Jason through a business associate about eight months ago. He told me he was separated.""
My throat tightened.
"Separated?""
"Yes. He said his marriage was over, but that he needed to finish a few financial arrangements before he could file for divorce.""
I closed my eyes.
Eight months.
Before the first transfer to Brooke.
Before the separation agreement.
Before Jason had started telling different people different stories about me.
"Have you been sleeping with him?"" I asked.
Lauren didn't pretend to misunderstand.
"Yes.""
Rachel covered her mouth.
I gripped the phone.
"How long?""
"Since February.""
February.
Two months before Brooke.
Four months before the first suspicious transfer.
I felt something inside me go very still.
"Why did you send me that photograph?""
"Because Jason told me this morning that his wife had agreed to a divorce settlement and that he would be free to marry me before Christmas.""
I stared at the image.
"Did he show you the agreement?""
"He showed me a document with your signature. He said you were getting the house and he was getting the business assets.""
I almost laughed.
He had created an entirely different version of the same story for Lauren.
"And you believed him?""
"I did. Until I received a message from Brooke.""
I froze.
"Brooke contacted you?""
"Last night. She said Jason had lied to both of us. She told me to find you before he could complete whatever he was planning.""
I looked at Daniel.
He wrote something on a notepad: Preserve message. Ask for original files.
"How does Brooke know you?"" I asked.
"She doesn't, not personally. She found my number in Jason's phone. She sent me screenshots of messages between them.""
"What did the messages say?""
Lauren exhaled.
"Jason told Brooke that he was going to use the property sale to pay off the loan, then transfer the remaining money into a company overseas. He said that once the transaction was complete, he would leave you and start over.""
My hands began to shake.
"Did he mention my signature?""
"Yes.""
"What did he say?""
Lauren hesitated.
"He said the documents were already signed, and that no one would question them until it was too late.""
I looked at Daniel.
He was writing quickly.
"Lauren, do you have those screenshots?""
"Yes.""
"Please don't delete them or forward them to anyone else until our attorney can arrange to preserve the originals. Can you send us the original messages and any related documents?""
"I can do that.""
I took a breath.
"Why are you helping me?""
Her answer came without hesitation.
"Because he told me he loved me, too. And this morning, when I asked him why he was still married, he said his wife was unstable and that he was afraid of what she might do if she found out about me.""
I felt a bitter smile pull at my mouth.
"That's what he told me about Brooke.""
"I know. Brooke sent me the message.""
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Three women.
Three different stories.
One man using each of us to make the others seem dangerous, unreasonable, or disposable.
"Lauren," I said, "did you know about the money?""
"No. I knew he had a business loan, but he told me it was secured against his own assets.""
"Did you ever sign anything for him?""
"No.""
"Did he ask you to?""
"Not directly. He did ask me to introduce him to someone who worked in commercial property development.""
My stomach tightened.
"Who?""
"My father.""
I looked at Daniel.
"What's your father's name?""
"David Mercer.""
Daniel's pen stopped.
He looked at Margaret, who had been sitting quietly near the desk.
Margaret's expression changed.
"David Mercer was involved in the original redevelopment proposal," she said.
Lauren heard her.
"Who said that?""
"An attorney who represents the property trust," Daniel replied.
"Lauren, we need to speak with you in person. There may be a connection between your father's business and the documents we're investigating.""
Lauren went quiet.
Then she said, "I think there is.""
"What do you mean?"" I asked.
"Jason asked my father to help him acquire a parcel of land adjacent to the redevelopment site. Dad refused because the ownership was disputed. A week later, Jason came back with documents showing that the dispute had been resolved.""
"When was this?""
"September.""
The month Rachel had confronted Jason.
The month he'd begun pressuring her to produce the original agreement.
The month he'd apparently decided to accelerate his plans.
"What did your father say?""
"He told Jason the documents looked suspicious. Jason became angry and said the owner had already authorized the transfer.""
"Did your father believe him?""
"No. He ended the meeting.""
Lauren took a shaky breath.
"Yesterday, Jason called him again. He said the transaction would be completed by October 17, and that if Dad wanted to participate, he had until midnight to sign the investment agreement.""
Daniel leaned forward.
"Did your father sign?""
"No.""
"Does he still have the proposed agreement?""
"Yes.""
"Then we need a copy.""
Lauren agreed to arrange a meeting that afternoon.
When the call ended, I sat motionless.
Rachel touched my shoulder.
I pulled away.
She withdrew her hand immediately.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
I looked at her.
"How many people has he involved?""
"I don't know.""
"How many people has he told I was leaving him?""
"I don't know.""
"How many people have been making decisions about my life while I stood in the kitchen making his dinner?""
Rachel began to cry again.
This time, I didn't tell her it was okay.
Because it wasn't.
But I didn't leave, either.
We drove to David Mercer's office shortly after three.
He was a broad-shouldered man in his sixties with a careful manner and a habit of asking people to repeat questions before answering them. Lauren sat beside him, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
David listened as Daniel explained the alleged forged documents, the business loan, and the proposed property transfer.
When Daniel finished, David opened a cabinet and removed a folder.
"I told Jason there was a problem with the title," he said.
"He insisted it had been resolved. I asked him for independent verification. He couldn't provide it.""
He handed the folder to Daniel.
Inside was a proposed investment agreement between Jason's company and a newly formed entity called Carter Strategic Holdings.
The agreement outlined a plan to acquire the property interest and sell it to a development consortium for a profit.
The projected return was enormous.
I looked at the last page.
Jason had signed it.
Beneath his signature was a line for mine.
It was already filled in.
The same forged signature.
Daniel photographed every page.
"Mr. Mercer, did Jason ever provide you with the original trust agreement?""
"No. He gave me a photocopy of what he claimed was a transfer authorization.""
"Do you still have it?""
David nodded.
He pulled out another document.
This one carried a stamp from a records office and a date of October 10.
The same date the original agreement had been moved to a different facility.
Margaret leaned forward.
"Where did you obtain this?""
"Jason emailed it to me as proof that the transfer had been completed. I didn't accept it because the legal description didn't match the parcel he was trying to acquire.""
Daniel compared the document with the copy of the original trust agreement.
Then he looked up.
"This appears to be a false certification.""
David's expression hardened.
"That's what I suspected.""
I stared at the page.
Jason had been sending forged documents to potential investors, using my name to create the appearance of legal authority, and promising that the property would soon belong to him.
He had not been preparing to leave our marriage.
He had been preparing to cash out of it.
"Why did he think he could get away with this?"" I asked.
David looked at me.
"Because people tend to believe documents that look official. And because he assumed nobody would challenge him until the money had changed hands.""
I felt sick.
"Was he planning to sell the property today?""
"That's what he told me.""
Daniel gathered the documents.
"We need to notify the relevant authorities and seek immediate relief to prevent any transfer. We also need to identify the lender and determine whether the loan proceeds were used in this scheme.""
David nodded.
"I'll cooperate.""
Lauren looked at me.
"I know none of this makes up for what I did.""
I studied her.
"What did you do?""
"I believed him. I let him tell me he was a victim of a failing marriage. I accepted the idea that you were the problem because it made my relationship with him easier to justify.""
Her eyes filled.
"When Brooke contacted me, I wanted to ignore her. I wanted to believe Jason had a reasonable explanation. But then I looked at the messages he'd sent me, and I realized he had used the same phrases with all three of us.""
She took out her phone.
"He told me I was the only person who understood him. He told Brooke she was the only person who supported his ambitions. He told you that you were the center of his world.""
I looked away.
"Those were his words," she continued.
"Almost exactly. I have the messages.""
She handed the phone to Daniel.
He reviewed them carefully.
One message from Jason stood out.
Once October 17 passes, everything changes. I won't have to pretend anymore.
Another said:
The property transfer is the last piece. After that, I can finally choose the life I want.
I read the words twice.
"What happens on October 17?"" I asked.
David glanced at the clock.
"It's today.""
Daniel checked the time.
"Four forty-seven.""
My phone vibrated.
A message from Brooke.
I found the original agreement.
I stood.
"Where?""
Her reply came immediately.
At Jason's office. He left it in the blue folder.
A second message appeared.
But there's something else you need to see.
Then a photograph arrived.
It showed a bank statement with several large transfers, a company name, and an account balance.
I enlarged it.
The account belonged to Carter Strategic Holdings.
The balance was $1,250,000.
At the bottom of the statement was a note.
*Scheduled transfer: October 17, 11:59 p.m.*
I looked at Daniel.
"That's tonight.""
He took the phone and studied the photograph.
"Emily, do not go to Jason's office. We're going to handle this through the proper channels.""
"I know.""
But another message arrived before he could continue.
This one wasn't from Brooke.
It was from Jason.
You have until eleven tonight to sign the real agreement. If you don't, everyone loses.
I stared at the message.
Then another appeared.
And if you want to know what really happened to your mother's money, ask Brooke why she was paid $75,000 before she ever slept with me.
My blood ran cold.
Seventy-five thousand dollars.
Before the affair.
Before the first transfer I'd found in the bank records.
I turned toward Daniel.
"He's saying Brooke was paid before April.""
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Then we need to find out why.""
I looked at the photograph again.
May you like
The scheduled transfer was less than seven hours away.
And for the first time, I understood that the affair might have been only one part of a plan that had started long before I walked into my living room holding those flowers.
