Chapter 9: The House He Thought He Owned
Tyler stood frozen with his phone pressed against his ear.
"What do you mean they've got a warrant?""
Nobody spoke.
He turned away from us.
"Listen, nobody touches anything. Do you understand?""
He ended the call.
Michael looked at him.
"What's happened?""
Tyler shoved his phone into his pocket.
"Nothing.""
"Your house is being searched?""
"That's my personal business.""
Michael exchanged a glance with Patricia.
She calmly closed her briefcase.
"Mr. Mitchell, if authorities are investigating financial misconduct, you should seek independent legal representation.""
Tyler laughed nervously.
"There's nothing to investigate.""
His phone rang again.
This time, he didn't answer.
I looked at him.
"What's in the house?""
He glared at me.
"Stay out of it.""
"Are there more documents?""
"No.""
"More bank accounts?""
"Emily, stop.""
I remembered the message about making me believe one of our daughters wasn't his.
The message about signing over the house and savings.
The money diverted from our family account.
And Margaret's letter.
I suddenly realized that Tyler's greatest fear wasn't losing his job.
It was losing control.
"Michael," I said, "I want to cooperate with the investigation.""
Tyler spun around.
"You wouldn't dare.""
I looked directly at him.
"Watch me.""
He stepped toward me.
Rachel immediately moved beside the stroller.
"Don't even think about it.""
Tyler pointed at her.
"Stay out of my marriage.""
Rachel lifted her phone.
"Your marriage ended the moment you decided to make everyone else responsible for your lies.""
Tyler looked around the room.
Then he stormed out.
Twenty minutes later, Michael arranged for a company vehicle to take me, the babies, and Rachel to a nearby hotel.
Daniel was waiting outside.
When I saw him, I almost cried.
He opened his arms.
I leaned into him.
"Emily," he whispered.
"I'm sorry.""
I shook my head.
"You didn't do anything.""
He looked down at Piper and Poppy.
"Look at these two.""
Piper opened her eyes.
Daniel smiled.
"Three months old already.""
I managed a small smile.
"Almost four months.""
He helped load the stroller into the SUV.
Once we were inside, I turned toward him.
"Tell me what you know about Margaret's phone.""
Daniel sighed.
"After Margaret died, Tyler collected most of her belongings. He told everyone he was handling the estate.""
"Yes.""
"But a few weeks later, I received a message from an account connected to her old phone.""
I frowned.
"What did it say?""
"It asked me to meet someone.""
"Who?""
"An attorney. She said Margaret had left instructions that needed to be delivered to you.""
I stared at him.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"I tried. But Tyler contacted me first.""
My stomach tightened.
"What did he say?""
"He threatened to accuse me of having an affair with you. He said he had photographs and that he'd make sure your family believed them.""
I looked down.
"So he was using those pictures against both of us.""
Daniel nodded.
"He also said if I ever contacted you again, he'd tell your brother that I'd been taking advantage of your situation.""
I closed my eyes.
"Why didn't you tell my brother?""
"Because I knew Tyler would make your life harder. You were pregnant, and I didn't want to create another problem for you.""
I looked at him.
"You should have trusted me.""
He nodded.
"I know.""
We reached the hotel.
Rachel helped me settle the babies into a quiet room.
Daniel stayed with me while I called my attorney.
Her name was Susan Carter.
I'd contacted her earlier that morning, after discovering the financial irregularities.
She listened carefully as I explained everything.
When I finished, she was silent for several seconds.
"Emily, I need to ask you something important.""
"What?""
"Do you and Tyler have a joint mortgage?""
"Yes.""
"Whose name is on the deed?""
"Both of ours.""
"Have you checked the property records recently?""
I frowned.
"No. Why?""
"Because I received a preliminary notice from the county earlier today. There appears to have been an attempt to transfer ownership of your house.""
My heart stopped.
"Transfer it to whom?""
Susan hesitated.
"An investment company.""
"Which company?""
She read the name.
My stomach dropped.
It was a company I had never heard of.
"Was Tyler involved?""
"His electronic signature appears on the preliminary documents.""
I felt sick.
"Can he sell our house without me?""
"Not legally, if your consent is required under the deed and local law. But someone has attempted to process the transaction.""
I looked at Daniel.
He had heard everything.
Susan continued.
"Emily, I want you to send me every document you received today. We need to preserve the evidence and immediately notify the relevant institutions.""
"Okay.""
"And don't sign anything Tyler sends you.""
"I won't.""
After the call, I sat beside the babies' crib.
The hotel room was quiet.
Poppy was sleeping.
Piper was making tiny noises in her sleep.
I watched their chests rise and fall.
My husband had tried to steal our savings.
He had used my name.
He had hidden another child.
And now he had apparently attempted to sell the house where his daughters lived.
I thought about the blue dress I'd worn that morning.
I'd put it on because Tyler once told me it made him fall in love with me.
Now I couldn't remember the last time he'd looked at me with genuine affection.
Daniel sat beside me.
"Emily, there's something else.""
I turned.
"What?""
He opened his phone.
"Remember the message Tyler supposedly received from Margaret's old account?""
"Yes.""
"I managed to recover the original email metadata.""
He showed me the screen.
The message had been sent from an account connected to a device registered to Tyler's personal laptop.
I stared.
"Are you saying he sent it himself?""
Daniel nodded.
"That's what it looks like.""
I looked at the screen.
The photographs of me with Daniel hadn't been sent by a dead woman.
Tyler had created the deception.
He had used his mother's name to make the accusations look credible.
But why?
Daniel scrolled further.
"There was an attachment.""
A document appeared.
It was a draft statement accusing me of infidelity.
At the bottom was a section titled:
*Proposed Grounds for Custody Modification.*
I felt my blood run cold.
"Custody?""
Daniel nodded.
"Emily, I think Tyler was preparing to use those photographs to challenge your parental fitness.""
I stared at him.
He continued.
"If he could make people believe you were having an affair while he was away, he could try to use that against you in a custody dispute.""
I couldn't breathe.
The room seemed to close around me.
He hadn't just wanted money.
He had been preparing to take my daughters.
I stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, Miami glittered beneath the afternoon sun.
I wiped my eyes.
Then my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
I answered.
"Hello?""
A woman's voice spoke.
"Emily Mitchell?""
"Yes.""
"My name is Detective Harris. We're investigating the attempted financial transfers connected to your home.""
I gripped the phone.
"Okay.""
"We've recovered several documents from your property.""
"What documents?""
There was a pause.
Then she said:
"Mrs. Mitchell, we've found a second will belonging to Margaret Mitchell. And according to this document, Tyler may not be entitled to inherit anything from her estate.""
I closed my eyes.
"Why?""
The detective's voice became quieter.
"Because Margaret believed her son had committed a crime against someone in your family.""
I swallowed.
"Who?""
The answer came slowly.
"Her granddaughter.""
I looked at Piper and Poppy.
"Which granddaughter?""
The detective paused.
May you like
Then she said:
"Both of them.""
