Chapter 3 - The Tap Runs Dry
By Wednesday, Chloe and Derek’s world began to violently unravel.
I was at the shop, elbow-deep in grease on a Chevy transmission, when my cell phone started blowing up. It was Chloe. I ignored the first five calls. On the sixth, I answered and put it on speaker.
"Dad!" Chloe shrieked, her voice frantic. "What did you do?! My credit cards are declining! Derek’s car just got repossessed from our driveway! We can't even buy groceries!"
"I thought you were living on your own timeline now, Chloe," I said calmly, wiping my hands on a shop rag. "Since you're so eager to be the head of the family, you can start paying your own bills."
"You can't do this! We have the power of attorney!"
"Arthur Vance had a judge freeze those documents at 9:00 AM this morning," I replied. "The fraud unit is currently looking into the notary who stamped your fake deed. I hear forgery carries a three-to-five-year prison sentence in this state."
The line went dead silent.
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"Dad... please," Chloe’s voice was suddenly small, trembling with genuine fear. "Derek is in trouble. We owe people money. If we don't pay them, we're going to lose everything."
"You already lost everything the second you locked your mother out in the cold," I said, and ended the call.
