Chapter 4 - The Ghost
I stared at my attorney in absolute, horrifying disbelief.
"How can I be legally dead when I am sitting right in front of you?" I asked.
Sarah turned her monitor around so I could see the official state registry on the screen.
Someone had filed a fraudulent death certificate using my social security number just a week ago.
"This is how they bypassed the bank's security protocols," Sarah explained grimly.
"Your father did not use a power of attorney, he used an executor of estate form."
They had literally killed me on paper to inherit my assets and steal my children's future.
This was no longer just a bitter family dispute over a house.
This was a highly coordinated, felony-level identity theft operation.
I drove straight to the local police precinct and demanded to speak with a detective.
Detective Harris listened to my story with a mixture of pity and deep skepticism.
"Identity theft cases between family members are notoriously difficult to prosecute quickly," he warned me.
"They are actively trying to sell a stolen house and launder fifty thousand dollars," I argued desperately.
"I will open an investigation, but you need to go to the vital records office and prove you are alive first," he said.
I left the precinct feeling completely exhausted and utterly defeated.
I drove to Tyler and Emma's elementary school to pick them up, desperately needing to see their innocent faces.
I parked my car and walked toward the front gates where the parents usually gathered.
But I did not see my children waiting by the brick wall.
Instead, I saw the school principal standing next to a uniformed police officer.
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The principal looked at me with an expression of profound sorrow and deep concern.
"Mr. Prescott, your sister picked up the children thirty minutes ago," he said softly.
