PART 3 — THE SIGNATURES
My mother arrived at Rachel’s office the next morning wearing a cream-colored pantsuit.
Travis wore a blazer.
Neither had dressed that nicely for my wedding.
Mother hugged me in the lobby.
Actually hugged me.
“My son.”
I let her.
Travis shook my hand.
“Big day.”
“It could be.”
Rachel seated everyone around a polished conference table.
A stack of documents waited in front of them.
Mother immediately asked the question she had probably rehearsed all night.
“When will Marcus receive the settlement?”
Rachel smiled professionally.
“Once all domestic asset disclosures connected to his overseas income are reconciled.”
Mother nodded as if she understood.
She didn’t.
Rachel continued.
“Mr. Reed has indicated he wants the family assets reorganized before the settlement account becomes fully active.”
Mother looked pleased.
“That’s right. We’ve always handled things as a family.”
Rachel slid papers toward her.
“These documents acknowledge which assets were acquired using funds transferred by Marcus Reed.”
Mother flipped through them.
House improvements.
Truck.
Furniture.
Business equipment.
Cash transfers.
Property tax payments.
Credit accounts.
“You just need signatures confirming the source of funds,” Rachel said.
Mother signed.
Travis signed.
Then came another document.
“What’s this?” Travis asked.
“A restructuring authorization.”
“For the settlement?”
“For the financial restructuring required before Mr. Reed proceeds with his larger estate plan.”
Estate plan.
Those two words might as well have been heroin.
Mother signed without finishing the second page.
Travis followed.
Rachel notarized everything.
Then she closed the folder.
“That’s all we need today.”
Mother smiled at me.
“So when do we talk about distributions?”
I leaned back.
“Soon.”
“How soon?”
“Very soon.”
She reached across the table.
“Marcus, I know things looked terrible when you arrived.”
I stared at her hand.
She continued.
“But illness puts tremendous pressure on everyone.”
Travis nodded.
“We all made mistakes.”
I looked at him.
“Did Serena?”
Neither answered.
Mother’s smile faded.
“What do you mean?”
“She got cancer. Was that her mistake?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what exactly did she do to deserve sleeping beside the garage?”
Mother glanced at Rachel.
“Maybe this isn’t the place.”
“It’s the perfect place.”
Travis shifted in his seat.
“Bro…”
I looked at Rachel.
She pressed a button on the conference phone.
The door opened.
Two investigators from the county sheriff’s financial crimes unit stepped inside.
Behind them was a detective from adult protective services.
Mother stopped breathing.
Travis stood.
“What is this?”
“Sit down,” one investigator said.
Travis didn’t.
Then another man entered carrying a thick evidence file.
Mother looked at me.
“Marcus?”
I said nothing.
Rachel opened the folder they had just signed.
“The documents you executed today formally acknowledged that the house improvements, Mr. Reed’s truck, multiple household assets and a substantial portion of Travis Reed’s business inventory were purchased primarily with Marcus Reed’s transferred funds.”
