Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING
By 9:00 a.m. the following morning, the fallout began in earnest.
My phone blew up with calls from extended family members—aunts, uncles, and cousins whom I hadn't spoken to in months. My mother had clearly spent the night orchestrating a smear campaign, painting me as a cold, heartless monster who was trying to "steal" the family lakehouse and bankrupt her elderly parents.
Marisol, how could you do this to your mother? an text from Aunt Clara read. Family comes first, Marisol. Put your pride aside, my Uncle Richard left in a voicemail.
I didn't reply to a single one. Instead, I forwarded every text and voicemail to Priya to add to our harassment documentation file.
At 2:00 p.m., Priya called my office line. "Marisol, their attorney just called me. He was completely blind to the identity fraud evidence and the tax lien details. Your parents lied to their own lawyer about how they handled the paperwork."
"How did he react when you showed him the county IP logs?" I asked.
Priya chuckled dryly. "He went completely silent for about ten seconds, then asked for a two-hour recess to 'consult with his clients.' He knows they're facing potential felony charges if this goes to a judge."
"Have they agreed to sign?"
"They're stalling," Priya warned. "They think you're bluffing about reporting the identity theft. They believe your maternal guilt will kick in before the 5:00 p.m. deadline."
I looked at the framed photo sitting on my office desk—a picture of my grandmother Evelyn and me standing on the wooden dock of the lakehouse when I was twelve years old. She had her arm wrapped tight around my shoulders, smiling broadly against the sunset.
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Don't ever let anyone make you feel small for being smart, Marisol, Grandma Evelyn had told me that day. Numbers don't bow to bullies.
"They're wrong," I told Priya. "Send their attorney the final warning. If the signed settlement isn't in your inbox by 4:59 p.m., submit the criminal referral packet directly to the District Attorney's financial crimes unit."
