Chapter 5
Aurelia Landing’s problem was worse than Callan had known.
The project was not insolvent.
It was trapped.
The main structure was seventy percent complete.
Presales were decent.
But costs had risen by almost $9 million.
Sabina’s partners refused to contribute more without gaining control rights.
The lender offered an extension on two conditions:
Additional equity.
And final resolution of Everett Fenmore’s disputed collateral.
Sabina could solve the equity requirement.
Painfully.
She owned a Manhattan apartment.
A lake house.
Marketable securities.
Fenmore shares.
The second problem was more personal.
If Everett’s pledge was invalid, Sabina had potentially misrepresented collateral years earlier.
The lender might demand substitute security.
Could investigate the original closing.
Could pursue remedies against her personally.
Could notify Fenmore Group if company shares had been improperly encumbered.
Could make a board problem out of what Sabina had kept framed as a family disagreement.
Callan’s release could not erase fraud if fraud occurred.
It could not bind regulators.
It could not make Everett’s affidavit vanish.
But it could tell the lender Everett’s heir was willing to settle the estate dispute privately.
That mattered.
Then forensic counsel examined the disputed guaranty.
Everett’s signature appeared authentic at first glance.
Metadata showed the PDF was finalized eight days after Everett’s documented revocation of Sabina’s financial power of attorney.
A digital image of his signature had been inserted.
Where did the image come from?
Unknown yet.
Sabina’s lawyers said Everett may have authorized use of a stored signature.
Possible.
Except Everett’s affidavit specifically denied it.
Then his former nurse gave a statement.
During the same week, Sabina repeatedly asked Everett to approve “one final Aurelia document.”
Everett refused.
The nurse remembered because he said:
“I built a company. I’m not dying inside her condo deal.”
Blunt.
Very Everett.
The lender had never heard that.
Then Callan learned about his mother’s scheduled appointments.
Jessamine’s due date:
October 19.
October 20:
Private postpartum nurse begins at Sabina’s estate.
October 21:
Callan — family estate counsel.
October 22:
Mobile notary — Fenmore residence.
October 24:
Aurelia lender cure deadline.
Michael laid the dates out.
Callan stared.
“She scheduled a notary two days after my daughter is born.”
“Assuming the due date.”
“Babies don’t follow calendars.”
“No.”
“Then why?”
Michael looked toward the family-law documents.
May you like
“Maybe your mother thought she could make the calendar follow the baby.”
That sentence stayed with Callan.
