Chapter 11 - The Signature That Didn't Belong|
Morgan photographed the document and sent it to Patricia.
The attorney called within minutes.
“Do not assume Julian was innocent simply because the signature may be forged,” Patricia said. “We need a handwriting expert and the original records.”
“I understand.”
“Also, the document could explain why Vance is so determined to control the property. If the survey was fraudulent, the people who approved it may be exposed to legal consequences.”
Morgan looked across the orchard.
“So they're trying to get my signature to make the old agreement look legitimate.”
“Possibly. If you sign a new transfer, they could argue that you accepted the terms voluntarily. That would not automatically erase earlier misconduct, but it could complicate the dispute.”
Morgan felt anger replace fear.
“They wanted me to sign away my grandmother's property without understanding what it meant.”
“Yes.”
“And Julian was helping them.”
“We have evidence he participated in the pressure campaign. Whether he knew about the forged survey is a separate question.”
Morgan ended the call and sat on the porch.
She thought of Julian's first failed business, his excuses, his insistence that the cottage was a waste of money. She had believed he was a man struggling to succeed.
Now she wondered whether every failed venture had made him more vulnerable to Vance.
Perhaps he had started with ambition and ended with desperation.
That did not excuse what he had done.
But Morgan wanted to understand the entire truth before deciding what came next.
She called Julian.
He answered immediately.
“Where are you?”
“Door County.”
“You shouldn't be there alone.”
“I'm not discussing my safety with you.”
“I know about the cottage.”
“Of course you do.”
“I need to tell you something.”
“Then tell me.”
Julian hesitated.
“Six years ago, Vance asked me to sign a document supporting the development. He said it was a preliminary survey approval. I refused.”
Morgan looked at the forged signature.
“Then why does the document have your name?”
“I don't know.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Vance showed me a copy and said that if I challenged it, he'd expose the debts I'd accumulated through his companies. I thought he had enough influence to destroy me.”
Morgan closed her eyes.
“So you stayed quiet.”
“Yes.”
“And then you helped him pressure me.”
Julian's voice broke.
“I thought I could make it right.”
“By spying on me?”
“I know how it sounds.”
“It sounds exactly like what you did.”
He was silent.
Morgan continued.
“Did you know about the wetlands?”
“No.”
“Did you know the survey was fraudulent?”
“I suspected something was wrong. I didn't know the details.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I was afraid you'd leave.”
Morgan looked toward the apple trees.
“You should have been more afraid of becoming the kind of man who deserved to be left.”
Julian began to cry.
She did not comfort him.
Instead, she told him that Patricia would contact him regarding the investigation and that he should preserve every document connected to Vance.
Then she ended the call.
Later that afternoon, an independent surveyor arrived at the cottage. He reviewed Clara's documents and confirmed that the old survey contained serious inconsistencies.
The proposed development would cross a protected drainage area and interfere with a public utility easement.
The documents were authentic.
The signature attributed to Julian was not.
That evening, Patricia called with an update.
“Northstar has filed an emergency petition claiming that you are obstructing a legitimate development. They want the court to prevent you from transferring or modifying the property while the dispute is reviewed.”
Morgan stared at the phone.
“Can they take the cottage?”
“Not without a legal process. But they can make this expensive.”
Morgan looked out at the lake.
“Then we fight.”
Patricia paused.
“Are you sure?”
Morgan thought of Clara.
“Yes.”
For the first time in weeks, she felt certain of something.
May you like
The next morning, she found a folded note tucked beneath the cottage door.
YOUR HUSBAND IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS HOW TO LIE. ASK ELEANOR WHAT SHE DID THE NIGHT CLARA DIED.
