Rachel examined the loan document.
“Whose idea was this?”
Matthew sat again.
“We were trying to solve several problems at once.”
“My house is not several problems,” I said.
“Nobody said it was.”
“You listed it as collateral.”
“It was only an application.”
“Why?”
He rubbed his face.
“My company needs temporary capital.”
“How much?”
“That isn’t relevant.”
“It becomes relevant when my address appears on the paperwork.”
Claire stared at him.
“You told me the financing was connected to our townhouse.”
Matthew looked at her sharply.
“It is.”
“Then why is your mother’s house here?”
“We were looking at options.”
Claire’s expression shifted.
“What did you ask me for my income statements for?”
Matthew said nothing.
Rachel turned to Claire.
“He asked for yours too?”
Claire ignored her.
“Matthew.”
“This is not the place.”
“Stop saying that.”
Her voice had become very quiet.
“That excuse is getting old.”
He looked around again.
People at nearby tables were beginning to notice us.
Paul picked up the document.
Matthew immediately said, “Give me that.”
Paul did not.
“I work in commercial insurance.”
“I know what you do.”
“Then you know I’ve seen collateral packages.”
“This isn’t a collateral package.”
Paul looked through the pages.
“It certainly appears to be headed in that direction.”
Matthew stood again.
“This is ridiculous.”
Paul kept reading.
“There should be authorization somewhere.”
My stomach tightened.
“What authorization?”
Paul looked at me.
“If someone is borrowing against property they don’t own, the lender would normally need documentation showing that person has authority to act.”
I turned toward Matthew.
He walked away.
Not toward the front door.
Toward the restroom hallway.
Claire watched him disappear.
Then she whispered, “He has something.”
Rachel stared at her.
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
Claire looked at me.
“But he has something.”
That was when I remembered my attorney’s message.
CALL ME BEFORE LEAVING.
I stood.
“I need to make a phone call.”
I walked toward the lobby and called her.
She answered immediately.
“Are you somewhere private?”
“Private enough.”
“Good. The title company found something this afternoon.”
The way she said something made my hand tighten around the phone.
“What?”
“Someone recorded a memorandum claiming an equitable interest in your property.”
I did not understand the legal phrase.
“Explain that in normal English.”
“Someone is claiming they have rights connected to your house.”
“Who?”
There was a pause.
“Matthew.”
My eyes closed.
For several seconds, I heard only the restaurant around me.
Silverware.
Conversation.
Music.
A bartender dropping ice into a glass.
My attorney continued.
“He’s claiming he made substantial contributions to improvements on the property and that you had an agreement regarding his future ownership interest.”
“That’s a lie.”
“I believe you.”
“He never paid for renovations.”
“We can document that.”
“What agreement?”
“That is the part I wanted to discuss before you left the restaurant.”
I leaned against the wall.
“He attached one.”
My stomach dropped.
“Attached what?”
“A copy of an agreement.”
“Signed by whom?”
“You.”
I stopped breathing for a second.
“I never signed anything.”
“I assumed you would say that.”
“Can this stop my sale?”
“It can complicate the title temporarily. That does not mean it will ultimately succeed.”
His panic suddenly made sense.
Twenty-three days mattered because I had put a real buyer into the middle of whatever he had been planning.
My attorney continued.
“I want you to go home, secure your records, and make sure nobody has access to anything containing your signature or property information.”
I looked through the dining-room doorway.
Matthew had returned.
He was standing behind his chair, watching me.
“Anything else?”
“Yes. Do not sign anything anyone gives you tonight.”
I almost laughed.
“That lesson arrived a little late.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
I ended the call.
When I returned to the table, Matthew studied my face.
“What happened?”
I placed my phone in my purse.
“You tell me.”
His eyes moved away for half a second.
That was enough.
I did not know the full truth yet.
But I knew he knew exactly what my attorney had found.
Rachel stood.
“Mom?”
“I’m leaving.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No.”
Her face fell.
“I need tonight alone.”
Matthew moved closer.