Chapter 5 - THE SIGNATURE THAT WASN'T HERS
By noon, Morgan was sitting inside Evelyn Price's office overlooking downtown Chicago.
Evelyn was in her early fifties, with sharp gray eyes and the calm manner of someone accustomed to hearing unpleasant truths.
She examined the photographs Eleanor had collected.
Then she turned to Morgan.
"Before we go any further, I need to ask you something."
"Okay."
"Have you signed any documents concerning your grandmother's property?"
"No."
"Any powers of attorney?"
"No."
"Have you recently provided Julian with copies of your driver's license, birth certificate, or property deed?"
Morgan hesitated.
"He asked me for my driver's license last month."
"Why?"
"He said he needed it to update our insurance."
Evelyn exchanged a glance with Eleanor.
"And did you give it to him?"
"Yes."
"Did he return it?"
"Eventually."
Evelyn made a note.
"All right. We'll verify the public property records first."
She turned her laptop toward Morgan and opened the Wisconsin county land records portal.
Morgan watched as Evelyn searched for the cottage.
The property appeared under Morgan's legal name.
For a moment, relief washed through her.
"See? It's still mine."
Evelyn didn't smile.
"Ownership is still recorded in your name. That's good. But there's another document here."
She opened a recently recorded notice associated with the property.
Morgan leaned closer.
It referenced a proposed real estate transaction and included a scanned signature.
Her signature.
Except Morgan had never signed it.
"What is that?"
Evelyn enlarged the image.
The document appeared to be a purchase agreement submitted in connection with a pending title review.
The proposed sale price was $287,000.
Morgan's breath caught.
"That's impossible."
Evelyn studied the page.
"Do you recognize the buyer?"
The buyer was listed as Lakefront Development Holdings LLC.
Morgan shook her head.
"No."
Evelyn searched the company's registration.
The registered agent was a law office in Milwaukee.
One of the listed managers was Victor Kessler.
Morgan gripped the edge of the desk.
"He told me the cottage was worth four hundred and fifty thousand dollars."
Eleanor's face hardened.
"He's trying to buy it through a company connected to Victor."
Evelyn held up a hand.
"We need to establish who created these documents and whether anyone attempted to use them fraudulently. But this is serious."
Morgan stared at the scanned signature.
It resembled her handwriting.
The shape of the M.
The long tail on the final n.
Even the slight upward slant.
Someone had practiced.
Someone had studied her signature closely enough to imitate it.
And she knew exactly where Julian could have found hundreds of examples.
Her work files.
Her tax returns.
Their joint banking paperwork.
She suddenly remembered Julian borrowing her laptop three weeks earlier.
He'd said his computer needed an update.
She had given him her password without hesitation.
"There's something else," Morgan whispered.
Evelyn waited.
"My husband has access to my financial documents."
"Then we need to secure your accounts immediately."
For the next hour, Evelyn helped Morgan make a plan.
Morgan contacted her bank through its official number, changed passwords from a trusted device, and arranged to review any unusual account activity. She called a Wisconsin real estate attorney, who agreed to examine the documents and take appropriate steps to dispute the unauthorized transaction.
She also filed a report concerning the suspected forgery.
By three o'clock, Morgan had discovered two additional problems.
An unfamiliar loan inquiry appeared on her credit report.
And someone had attempted to open a business credit account using her personal information.
Morgan sat motionless.
For years, she'd believed Julian was simply irresponsible.
But irresponsibility didn't explain forged signatures.
It didn't explain hidden electronics inside jewelry.
And it didn't explain a company trying to purchase her inheritance for far less than its estimated value.
Evelyn sat across from her.
"Morgan, do you have somewhere safe to stay tonight?"
Morgan opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
She had spent eight years making sure Julian always had somewhere to live.
Now she wasn't certain she could safely return to her own apartment.
Eleanor reached for her hand.
"You can stay with me."
Morgan looked at her.
"You barely know me."
Eleanor's eyes glistened.
"I knew my daughter. And I know what it looks like when someone is afraid to admit the person they trusted may have betrayed them."
Morgan finally began to cry.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just quiet tears that she had been holding back since six that morning.
May you like
Eleanor moved beside her.
And for the first time in a very long time, Morgan allowed someone else to take care of her.
