Chapter 6: The Price of Silence
Grace arrived at the hotel forty minutes later with a laptop and two sealed folders.
She placed them on Mr.
Patel’s desk.
“Who has touched the original documents?”
“Only the contract holder, Daniel, Chloe, and me,” Mr.
Patel said.
Tiffany stood near the wall with Elaine.
“This meeting is over,” she said.
“My attorney will contact all of you.”
Grace opened her laptop.
“Your attorney may want to see the durable power-of-attorney form submitted under my client’s name.”
Daniel leaned over the desk.
“Power of attorney?”
“It gives you authority over your mother’s bank accounts, property, and medical decisions.”
“I never asked for that.”
Tiffany laughed.
“You complained constantly that she made everything difficult.
I solved the problem.”
“You forged her signature to give me control?”
“I prepared paperwork for the day she needs help.”
Grace slid a page toward Elaine.
“And you stamped it.”
Elaine pushed it back.
“My seal was used without my knowledge.”
Chloe unlocked her phone.
“Would you like to hear yourself offering to stamp anything Tiffany needed?”
Elaine’s chair scraped across the floor.
“I’ll give you twenty thousand dollars for that phone.”
Everyone went still.
Chloe tilted her head.
“Was that supposed to make you sound innocent?”
“It was a settlement offer.”
“No,” Grace said.
“It was an offer to buy evidence.”
Tiffany snatched Chloe’s phone and threw it against the wall.
The screen shattered.
“There.
Now this ridiculous performance is finished.”
Chloe calmly opened her handbag and removed a second phone.
“The recording uploads automatically.”
Tiffany’s mouth fell open.
Mr.
Patel moved between her and Chloe.
“Security is outside.”
Daniel placed both palms on the desk.
“How long have you been planning this?”
“Planning what?
A life with you?”
“Using my mother.”
“I did what you were too weak to do.”
Tiffany’s hand flew to her mouth, but the words were already out.
Daniel stepped back.
“What did you mean?”
“You said she would never check the bills.”
“I was talking about the wedding upgrades.”
Grace looked at him.
“So you knew about the twelve thousand dollars?”
Daniel’s face crumpled.
“I knew Tiffany wanted to add them.”
“That was not the question,” I said.
He stared at the floor.
“I told her you probably wouldn’t notice.”
My hand closed around the edge of the desk.
“You knew she planned to use my card?”
“I thought we would repay you.”
“When?”
“After the wedding.”
“With what money?”
He had no answer.
Tiffany smiled at me.
“Your perfect son isn’t so perfect.”
“I never believed he was perfect.”
“He helped me.”
“He made a selfish choice.
You turned that choice into four false documents.”
Tiffany picked up her purse.
“You cannot prove I submitted any of them.”
Grace rotated the laptop.
A still image showed Tiffany seated at a computer in the hotel business center.
“The bank recorded the device location,” Grace said.
“Mr.
Patel preserved the hallway footage.”
Tiffany looked at Elaine.
“Tell them you submitted it.”
Elaine shook her head.
“I stamped the papers.
You uploaded them.”
“You said you would protect me.”
“I said I would help you get the house.”
Daniel sank into a chair.
“You both planned this.”
Tiffany moved toward him.
“We planned a secure future.”
“There is no baby, is there?”
She lowered her voice.
“If you stand beside me now, there can be.”
Daniel recoiled.
Chloe’s second phone remained on the desk, its red recording light glowing.
Tiffany noticed it too late.
She grabbed her purse and ran toward the side door.
Mr.
Patel opened the main door instead.
Two hotel security officers stood beside a woman holding an identification wallet.
“I’m Detective Nora Wells,” the woman said.
“The bank asked us to respond to a suspected financial offense.”
Tiffany stopped.
Grace handed the detective the sealed folder.
“This contains the originals.”
Detective Wells looked at Tiffany.
“Before anyone leaves, I need to know who wrote Michael Carter’s name.”
Elaine pointed at her daughter.
May you like
Tiffany pointed at Daniel.
And Daniel whispered, “Mom, there’s something else on my phone.”
