Chapter 5: Claire Sits Down
Claire arrived at noon with a leather folder and a calm that felt professional and deliberate, the kind of calm that meant she had seen this before.
She shook my hand.
"Mrs.
Callahan.
Ryan's told me a little.
I'd like to hear it from you directly, if that's all right."
We sat at the kitchen table — the same table where the cupcake had been, where the candle had burned for less than five minutes, where I had approved $400 to Leo while sitting alone on my birthday.
I told her everything.
It took forty minutes.
She didn't interrupt.
She took notes in small, precise handwriting and asked three questions: the date I had added Leo and Marcus to my bank account as authorized users, whether I had ever signed any documents related to the house that I didn't fully read, and whether Danielle had ever been present when financial conversations happened.
The answer to the first question was eight years ago.
The answer to the second question made me go cold.
"There was something," I said slowly.
"Two years ago.
Marcus brought some paperwork over.
He said it was for insurance purposes.
Danielle was with him."
Claire's pen stopped.
"What kind of paperwork?"
"I don't know exactly.
It was several pages.
Marcus walked me through it quickly.
He said it was standard."
"Did you read it before you signed?"
I looked at my hands.
"He was explaining it while I was signing.
I trusted him."
Ryan was very still across the table.
"Do you have a copy?" Claire asked.
"I don't think so.
Marcus said he'd keep the copies."
Claire wrote something and underlined it twice.
"I'd like you to request a full title search on this property.
Today if possible.
I can help you do that."
"What are you thinking?" Ryan asked.
"I'm thinking that the phrase 'while there's time' in Danielle's text this morning is worth taking seriously." Claire closed her folder.
"Mrs.
Callahan, I want to be honest with you.
I don't know yet what those documents were.
But I know that authorized bank users can do more than most people realize, and I know that a title search will tell us very quickly whether anything has changed on this property."
"Changed how?" I said.
"Whether you are still the sole owner."
The refrigerator hummed.
Somewhere upstairs, a pipe ticked.
"I signed something," I said.
"Two years ago.
At this table."
"Possibly," Claire said.
"Or possibly it was nothing.
That's what the search will tell us."
Ryan stood up.
"What do we do right now, today?"
"Three things," Claire said.
She counted them on her fingers.
"One — request the title search.
Two — remove Leo and Marcus as authorized users on your bank accounts.
Today, not tomorrow.
Three — do not respond to Danielle's text or any contact from Marcus or Leo until you know what you're dealing with."
"They'll call," I said.
"They will," Claire said.
"Don't answer."
My phone was on the table between us.
As if on cue, it lit up.
Leo.
The three of us looked at it.
It rang five times.
Then voicemail.
Thirty seconds later, a text: *Mom, I need to talk to you.
It's important.
Can you call me back today?*
Claire looked at me.
"What would you normally do?"
"Call him back immediately," I said.
"And today?"
I turned the phone face-down.
Something in Claire's expression shifted — not quite a smile, but close.
May you like
"Good," she said.
"Let's start with the bank."
