Chapter 12 - The File Marked Emergency
Nina’s office called me before sunrise on Thursday. Her assistant asked me to come in immediately.
When I arrived, Nina was standing beside the conference table with three files open. One was labeled Household. Another was labeled Business. The third had a red sticker marked Emergency.
“The lender filed a notice,” she said. “Voss has begun enforcement proceedings against Lorraine’s property.”
I sat down. “What does that mean for me?”
“It may not mean anything directly. But the notice lists Garrett as a guarantor and references a proposed collateral substitution.”
“My apartment.”
“Your apartment is not listed as pledged property. However, we found an email from Garrett to Voss discussing it as a possible substitute.”
Nina slid the printed email across the table.
Garrett had written: Paige will resist at first, but she can be persuaded if the family situation is presented correctly. She values appearances and will not want the children to suffer.
My hands went cold.
“He wrote that about me.”
“Yes.”
“He thought shame would make me sign.”
“That appears to be the strategy.”
Another document showed that the business credit line had been drawn down in several transactions. Some funds went to Tabitha’s credit cards. Some went to Lorraine’s lender. One payment went to an online consultant called Northstar Resolution Group.
“Who are they?” I asked.
“A debt-settlement service. Their representative is listed as Martin Voss’s former associate.”
The network tightened around us.
“Could Voss be involved in the business account?”
“Possibly. We’re tracing it. But I want to be precise. Suspicion is not proof.”
Nina explained that we would file a response to protect my interests in the divorce case, request temporary financial restraints as appropriate, and preserve evidence. She emphasized that the court would decide based on records and applicable law, not on who sounded more wounded.
“Garrett may accuse you of abandoning him,” she said.
“He already has.”
“Expect more.”
I nodded. “What do I do today?”
“Make a list of every account, debt, insurance policy, and recurring payment. Notify your bank that no new liens or authorizations are approved. Secure your employment records. And do not discuss settlement terms without counsel.”
At noon, Garrett sent me a message: Voss is giving us until tomorrow. Please meet me tonight. No lawyers.
I forwarded it to Nina.
She answered: You may decline. If you meet, do so in a public place and bring support. Never agree to no lawyers when legal rights are at stake.
I replied to Garrett: Any discussion will go through counsel.
His response was immediate: You don’t trust me at all.
I stared at the screen.
No, I typed. I trust the records more.
That afternoon, I went to Lorraine’s house with Nina’s investigator, not to enter but to photograph the public condition of the property and confirm the address. The once-bright garden was overgrown. A foreclosure notice was posted beside the front door.
A neighbor, Mr. Alvarez, recognized me.
“You’re Garrett’s wife,” he said.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry you’re mixed up in this.”
“How long has the house been in trouble?”
He glanced at the notice. “Lorraine stopped paying contractors years ago. She said the bank would never take the place because her son had a plan.”
“Did you know Garrett was involved?”
“He came by every weekend for a while. He brought envelopes.”
“Cash?”
“Sometimes. Mostly checks.”
“From whom?”
“I assumed from you.”
The assumption struck me as another piece of the lie: people saw Garrett carrying solutions and believed he had permission to create them.
That night, I packed a small bag and stayed with Elise. Before leaving, I photographed the apartment again and placed my grandmother’s jewelry in a safe-deposit box. I left Garrett’s belongings untouched.
At midnight, my phone lit up with a message from an unknown number.
Your husband is not the only one who signed your name.
An image followed: a scanned document with a familiar imitation of my signature.
The sender added: Ask him about the original loan application.
I forwarded everything to Nina.
Her reply came within minutes: Do not respond to the sender. We may need to identify them through the records.
May you like
The emergency was no longer only Lorraine’s house.
Someone had been building a financial trap around my name, and tomorrow was the deadline to spring it.
