Chapter 2 - THE CALL NORMAN BELIEVED
Norman had arrived in Scottsdale three days earlier.
Kyle bought the plane ticket.
That alone should have bothered him.
Instead, Norman thought his son-in-law was being kind.
Chloe had been traveling frequently for her job as vice president of operations for a medical-device manufacturer headquartered in Tempe. Kyle knew her itinerary because they shared a household calendar.
He also knew Norman did not.
On Monday morning, Kyle called the farm.
“Chloe’s in serious trouble.”
Norman laughed at first.
Kyle did not.
He said Chloe had been questioned at her hotel by federal investigators over a distributor accused of falsifying government-contract invoices.
He used real details.
The distributor’s name.
Chloe’s Chicago hotel.
The exact flight she had taken Sunday.
All information Kyle knew.
Then Susan called Norman.
Crying.
Not theatrically, Norman said.
Worse.
Convincingly.
“She said you were terrified.”
Chloe looked across her kitchen at Susan.
Susan folded her arms.
“Norman misunderstood.”
“No,” Norman said quietly. “I didn’t.”
He continued.
Kyle sent him an email supposedly from attorney Michael Brenner.
It stated that a three-million-dollar escrow deposit could demonstrate immediate restitution capacity and “materially improve charging negotiations.”
Norman admitted the language made little sense.
“But Kyle said federal cases were different.”
Chloe closed her eyes.
Her father had spent forty years negotiating seed prices and equipment loans.
He was not stupid.
He had been scared.
That distinction mattered.
“What happened after you flew here?”
“Kyle took me to a mobile notary.”
Susan interrupted.
“Because there was a deadline.”
Chloe turned.
“You just said Dad misunderstood.”
Susan’s mouth closed.
Norman looked at the floor.
The notarized document did not itself mortgage the farm.
It gave Kyle limited authority to negotiate a secured loan and obtain payoff information from Norman’s longtime agricultural lender.
Norman believed he was helping Chloe.
Then Kyle took his phone.
Chloe looked sharply at him.
“He what?”
“Said investigators might monitor calls connected to you.”
“Where is it?”
Norman looked toward Susan.
Susan said, “It’s charging.”
“Where?”
No answer.
Chloe walked down the hallway.
She found Norman’s phone inside the guest-room dresser.
Powered off.
Not charging.
She carried it back.
Heather finally stopped eating grapes.
Chloe placed the phone on the table between them.
“You kept him from calling me.”
Susan’s voice hardened.
“Kyle said it was necessary.”
“For my imaginary federal case?”
“Ask your husband.”
“I will.”
Chloe called.
Straight to voicemail.
Then Norman said something else.
“Kyle told me I had to stay here until tomorrow morning.”
“Why?”
May you like
Norman looked ashamed.
“He said the closing was at nine.”
