Chapter 3 - The Forgery Web
The next morning, I sat in a cold interrogation room at the precinct.
My attorney, a sharp woman named Sarah, sat beside me reviewing the documents.
The investigator placed a massive stack of folders on the metal table.
“Eleven properties,” he said, tapping the stack.
“Three clinics, four warehouses, and four residential homes, all under your name.”
“I’ve never seen those papers before yesterday,” I insisted.
“We believe you,” the investigator said, surprising me.
“The signatures are sloppy, but they were notarized by a man James paid off.”
“So, I’m cleared?” I asked, feeling a tiny spark of hope.
“Not exactly,” he sighed.
“Millions of dollars moved through accounts linked to your social security number.”
“James was running an illegal organ harvesting and insurance fraud ring.”
I felt physically sick, clamping my hand over my mouth.
“He targeted vulnerable people, like Laura’s sister, who struggled with addiction.”
“He admitted them to the clinics, faked their deaths, and profited.”
“Why put it in my name?” I asked, tears stinging my eyes.
“Because you have clean credit, an inheritance, and no criminal record,” Sarah explained.
“You were the perfect shell company, Rachel.”
The door opened, and the reporter from the day before stepped inside.
“My name is Mark,” he said, extending his hand.
“I’ve been tracking James for two years, ever since a source tipped me off.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, wary of the media.
“Because James is trying to cut a deal,” Mark said grimly.
“He is claiming you were the mastermind, and he was just following his wife's orders.”
I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh in the small room.
“He’s claiming his bigamist wife forced him to run a cartel?”
May you like
“Yes,” Mark nodded. “And his mother just gave a statement corroborating his story.”
They were trying to bury me.
