The Account Evelyn Forgot
Chapter 10 - The Account Evelyn Forgot
Dana called with new information.
The old Bennett Farm Holdings account had never been closed.
Evelyn had used it for years.
Most transactions were ordinary: taxes, repairs, feed, equipment.
But there was another pattern.
Cash withdrawals.
Small at first.
Then larger.
Luke drove to the attorney’s office with Claire.
Dana turned her laptop toward them.
“Your mother has been moving money between accounts for at least eighteen months.”
“Before my deployment?” Luke asked.
“Yes.”
Claire studied the numbers.
“Where did it go?”
Dana hesitated.
“Some of it appears to have paid the farm debt. But there are payments to a private lender.”
Luke recognized the name.
Harlan Webb.
A local businessman who bought distressed property.
Luke felt sick.
His mother had borrowed against the farm without telling him.
Dana found a signed loan agreement.
Luke’s signature appeared at the bottom.
Another forgery.
“This is bigger than the baby account,” he said.
Dana nodded.
“If the loan defaults, Webb may try to claim an interest in the property. We can challenge the agreement, but you need to act quickly.”
Claire leaned back.
The story had changed again.
Evelyn had not merely been trying to keep Claire away from family money.
She had been hiding a financial collapse.
And every lie she told had been designed to buy one more day before Luke found out.
Luke called his mother.
She did not answer.
He called again.
Nothing.
Then Claire’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
May you like
She answered.
A man said, “Mrs. Bennett, you need to tell your husband his mother just tried to sell me the north field.”
