Chapter 4 - the paper trail in the drawer
Margaret sat in her car in the bank parking lot for twenty minutes, staring at the printout Laura had handed her.
Eleven months.
Five thousand dollars had been transferred electronically from her emergency reserve every single month on the fifteenth, authorized via online banking credentials that only two people possessed—herself and Harrison, whom she had added as a secondary joint signatory five years ago after her husband passed away.
When Margaret arrived back at her house at noon, the driveway was empty. Harrison’s luxury sedan was gone, meaning he and Sloan had gone out for lunch.
Margaret walked up the stairs to the guest bedroom. For six months, she had respected her son's privacy, never opening a single drawer in the room they occupied. But as she looked at the bank printout in her hand, the quiet patience she had maintained for years evaporated completely.
She opened the mahogany writing desk near the window.
Inside the top drawer, hidden beneath stacks of luxury fashion magazines, was a thick manila folder. Margaret pulled it out and opened it on the bed.
May you like
Inside were credit card statements under Sloan’s name, showing monthly balances exceeding eight thousand dollars—charged to high-end boutiques, day spas, and private European travel agencies. Tucked into the back of the folder was a signed commercial lease agreement for a luxury storefront on Elm Street, registered under Sloan's name, dated November of last year.
Sloan hadn't just been spending money; she had been funding her own private fashion boutique using Margaret’s retirement savings while Harrison pretended he couldn't pay rent.
