Chapter 3 - The Frame Job
My father was waiting on the porch when my Uber pulled into the driveway of my parents' house. He looked ten years older than he had that afternoon in my kitchen.
He pulled me into a tight hug, his hands shaking against my back. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into my hair. "Walking away from you... leaving you in that room with him. It was the hardest thing I've ever done."
"You followed the plan, Dad. You did exactly what you were supposed to do."
My mother, Helen, stood in the doorway. She was clutching a cardigan around her shoulders, her face pale. She didn't step forward to hug me. She just stared at the bruise forming on my jaw.
"Mom?" I asked, stepping inside. "Are you okay?"
"He's arrested?" she asked, her voice tight. "It's over?"
"He's in custody," I said, setting my bag on the foyer table. "But it's not over. I need you to tell me about Oak Creek Holdings."
My father frowned, closing the front door. "Oak Creek? That’s the LLC your mother and I set up years ago for that strip mall investment. We haven't used it in a decade. Why?"
I looked at my mother. The color had completely vanished from her face. She took a step backward, leaning against the hallway wall for support.
"Because twelve million dollars was just transferred into it from Grant’s firm," I said softly. "The federal government is going to look at that ledger tomorrow morning, and it’s going to look like you two stole the money. Someone reactivated the LLC, Dad. And it required a notarized signature from one of you."
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My father turned to my mother, confusion wrinkling his forehead. "Helen?"
She pressed her hand to her mouth, tears finally spilling over her eyelashes. "I didn't have a choice," she sobbed. "He told me he would ruin us."
