“And the mortgage documents signed in my name?”

Brenda paused.

Briefly.

Almost too briefly to notice.

But Rachel noticed.

“I don’t know anything about those.”

“Good.”

“What?”

“That’s helpful.”

Brenda’s voice sharpened.

“Don’t play games with me.”

“I’m not.”

Rachel ended the call.

Then she saved the recording.

California generally required consent from all parties for confidential conversations, and Rachel knew better than to assume the recording could be legally used.

But that wasn’t why she kept it.

She wanted a record of every word.

Especially Brenda’s denial.

Ten minutes later, an email from the bank arrived with the loan paperwork.

Rachel opened the first PDF.

The application contained thirty-seven pages.

Her name appeared twenty-one times.

Her employer.

Her salary.

Her Social Security information.

Her estimated assets.

Her supposed signature.

Again and again.

Some signatures were poor copies.

Others looked disturbingly accurate.

Rachel reached page fourteen.

There was an additional supporting document.

A letter supposedly written by Rachel stated that she was temporarily traveling and had authorized Brandon to coordinate the transaction.

The letter used phrases Rachel would never say.

My husband is empowered to execute procedural documents on my behalf.

Rachel frowned.

Brandon didn’t write like that either.

Someone else had prepared it.

She examined the document properties.

The author metadata showed two initials.

P.M.

Paige Mitchell.

Rachel remained completely still.

Paige.

She opened every document.

Three additional files contained the same metadata.

Her sister-in-law had created them.

That explained the transfers.

Paige wasn’t simply receiving money.

She appeared to be involved.

Rachel called an attorney.

Not a divorce attorney.

Not yet.

She contacted a fraud attorney she knew through her company.

His name was Daniel Cho.

Rachel had worked with him during an internal financial investigation two years earlier.

She explained everything.

Daniel listened without interrupting her.

When she finished, he asked one question.

“Are you safe?”

“Yes.”

“Are your children safe?”

“They’re staying with my parents.”

“Good. Don’t confront your husband in person. Preserve everything you have. Screenshots help, but download the original files whenever possible.”

“I already am.”

“I assumed you would be.”

“What should I do next?”

“File a police report.”

Rachel swallowed.