Chapter 3: The Paper With the Wrong Signature
The woman’s smirk faded into a thin line.
“Mrs. Miller has only one son.”
Cole glanced back at the formidable men backing him up.
“Not today.”
Mason let out a quick cough to mask a smirk. Duke leaned casually against the porch rail with crossed arms, while Eli positioned himself beside Ruth like a vigilant guard dog.
The woman bristled with annoyance, though she refused to back down.
“My name is Vanessa Crane,” she announced sharply. “I represent Northline Estates. Mrs. Miller signed a purchase agreement three months ago. We are here to take possession.”
Ruth shook her head in protest. “I never signed anything.”
Vanessa slid a document out of her folder. “Your signature is right here.”
Before Vanessa could react, Cole snatched the paperwork right out of her hands.
He scanned the page in silence.
His expression hardened.
“This is not her signature.”
Vanessa let out a condescending scoff. “And you are a handwriting expert?”
Cole offered no reply.
Instead, he turned to Ruth. “Do you have anything with your real signature?”
Ruth nodded eagerly and guided them inside. Pulling open a kitchen drawer, she gathered old tax filings, church donation receipts, and a signed letter from her physician.
Cole spread the documents across the kitchen table.
The disparity was striking.
Ruth’s actual signature was delicate, shaky, and rounded. The signature on the contract was aggressive, sharp, and hurried.
“Forgery,” Eli observed flatly.
Vanessa’s polite facade vanished completely. “You boys should be careful with accusations.”
Duke took a step toward her. “You should be careful stealing from old women.”
Beside Vanessa, one of the men reached inside his jacket pocket.
Cole reacted instantly.
He pinned the man’s wrist before he could pull his hand free, causing a small audio recording device to slip from his grip and shatter on the floor.
It wasn’t a weapon.
It was a voice recorder.
Cole glared down at the device, then fixed his eyes on Vanessa.
“So that’s the game? Get her scared, make her say something, use against her?”
Ruth gasped in realization. “They did that before. They came at night. They told if I fought, I’d lose everything.”
Cole clenched his jaw tight.
Vanessa snapped back angrily, “This is private property.”
Cole raised the forged document high.
“Good. Then the police can meet us here.”
Vanessa’s composure faltered for a fraction of a second.
Right then, another familiar sedan pulled up the driveway.
Ruth’s voice choked up.
“Michael?”
Her actual son had arrived.
And pinned to his lapel was a corporate badge for Northline Estates.
