Chapter 2 - The Shell Game
I pressed my body flat against the rough roof shingles.
My heart hammered so violently I was certain they could hear it through the walls.
Through the open window, I heard Eric grunt in frustration.
"The light is off, Mother, you are just being paranoid," Eric muttered.
I heard the heavy metal clank of my hidden floor safe being dragged out from under our bed.
I carefully shimmied down the slope of the garage roof and dropped quietly into the soft mulch of the garden.
I sprinted across the perfectly manicured lawn, my bare feet sinking into the damp grass.
I did not stop running until I reached Evelyn’s front porch across the street.
The heavy oak door swung open before I could even knock.
Evelyn pulled me inside and locked the deadbolt with a swift, practiced motion.
"You look like you just saw a ghost, Clara," Evelyn whispered, leading me into her kitchen.
"I saw something much worse than a ghost," I replied, shaking uncontrollably.
I played the voice recording for her right there at the kitchen island.
Evelyn’s warm, grandmotherly face turned into a mask of cold, calculating fury.
"They are executing a fraudulent collateral guarantee," Evelyn stated, her legal background instantly taking over.
"If they default on that loan, the bank will seize your family home and hold you criminally liable."
I pulled up my banking app, my fingers trembling as I bypassed the security screens.
I checked the hidden secondary accounts that I had set aside for my future retirement.
The balance was completely zeroed out.
Exactly $480,000 was gone, transferred to an offshore corporate entity called Nebula Systems.
"They stole my future, Evelyn," I choked out, the reality finally breaking my composure.
"We are going to steal it back," she said, pouring me a glass of water.
"My nephew works in cybersecurity for the federal government."
"We are going to spoof your phone's GPS so Eric thinks you just landed in Paris."
Evelyn dialed her nephew and explained the situation in rapid, coded terms.
Within twenty minutes, my phone showed a perfect digital footprint placing me at the Charles de Gaulle airport.
"Now, we need to figure out exactly what Nebula Systems actually is," Evelyn said, opening her laptop.
She typed furiously, accessing a series of public corporate registries.
A few moments later, she gasped and turned the screen toward me.
"Clara, look at the executive board for Nebula Systems," she urged.
May you like
I stared at the screen, expecting to see Richard or Eric listed as the CEO.
Instead, staring back at me in bold letters, was my own name.
