Chapter 2: The Signature That Was Never Mine
My hand tightened around the phone.
Detective Collins gave me a single nod.
"She's stable," I said carefully.
"They're still running tests."
A pause on the line.
Then: "Good.
Good.
I'm on my way."
"No." The word came out harder than I intended.
"The doctor said immediate family only tonight."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"Daniel…
I am family."
I looked at Lily.
She was watching my face, reading every word.
"I'll call you tomorrow, Michael."
I ended the call before he could respond.
Detective Collins was already writing something down.
"He knew about a second injector.
We only recovered one from Evelyn's vehicle."
"Which means—"
"Which means someone else is holding it.
Or it's already been disposed of."
My stomach dropped.
She opened her folder and placed a single printed page on the table.
It was a bank statement.
Lily's trust account.
Eleven months ago, just weeks after Anna's funeral, two withdrawals had been made.
Authorized transfers.
Each one just under the reporting threshold.
Combined total: $340,000.
The authorizing signature was not Evelyn's.
It was mine.
Except I had never signed anything.
"Someone forged your signature," Collins said quietly.
"And the notary who certified it?
She works in Michael's office building."
I sat down slowly.
"How long has this been going on?" I whispered.
Collins looked at me with something close to pity.
"We think it started before Anna passed."
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What Daniel found out next about Michael — and what Anna may have already known — is in the full story.
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The truth is far worse than it looks.
