Chapter 3 - The Name on the Deed
Jason stared at the manila envelope as if it were a venomous snake.
"What is that?" he asked, his voice suddenly lacking its previous arrogance.
"This is the original property deed, Jason," I replied, tapping the envelope against my palm.
"When I gave you eighty thousand dollars for the down payment, I didn't give it as a gift."
"I legally structured it so that my name remained on the primary deed until the loan was repaid."
Melissa's jaw dropped, and she spun around to glare at her husband.
"You told me the house was entirely in your name!" she shrieked.
Jason held up his hands, trying to placate his furious wife.
"It is, babe, I swear it is!"
He turned back to me, a desperate, ugly sneer forming on his lips.
"You're bluffing, Mom, because I went to the county clerk's office last month."
"I filed a quitclaim deed transferring sole ownership to myself."
My blood ran cold at his words.
"A quitclaim deed requires my notarized signature, Jason," I stated firmly.
"I never signed any such document."
Jason let out a harsh, arrogant laugh that echoed across the lawn.
"Well, the county clerk certainly thought you did."
"We are the sole legal owners of this property, and you are currently trespassing."
I realized with absolute horror what my own son had done.
He hadn't just tried to scam me for two thousand dollars.
He had committed federal fraud and forged my signature to steal a house.
Melissa smiled again, wrapping her arm around Jason's waist.
"Looks like you need to pack up your little yard sale and get off our lawn," she mocked.
I slowly put the envelope back into my purse, my mind racing.
They thought they had outsmarted me, assuming an old widow wouldn't fight back.
"You just admitted to felony forgery in front of multiple witnesses," I pointed out.
Jason scoffed, gesturing to the empty street.
May you like
"It's your word against ours, and no one is going to believe a bitter old woman."
Suddenly, a black sedan with government license plates pulled up right behind Jason's truck.
