Chapter 2 - THE SIGNATURE RACHEL HAD NEVER MADE
Rachel did not read the entire document in the hallway.
Her knee was shaking too badly.
She tucked the folder under her arm and reached for the wall.
“Give me my walker.”
Brooke did not move.
Elaine hurried to retrieve it.
The sudden obedience told Rachel more than any apology would have.
Once inside the condo, Rachel locked the door.
Brooke remained outside.
“You stole my property,” she called through it.
Rachel sat on the entry bench.
“You brought it into my house.”
“This isn’t going to end the way you think.”
Rachel looked toward Elaine.
Her mother had slipped inside before the door closed.
“Mom, what is this?”
Elaine pressed both hands together.
“I don’t know everything.”
“That means you know something.”
Brooke pounded once.
“Elaine!”
Rachel’s mother flinched at the use of her first name.
That bothered Rachel.
Brooke had always called her Mom.
Rachel pulled the document from the folder.
It was not a deed.
Not exactly.
It was a durable power of attorney authorizing Brooke to manage certain financial and property matters on Rachel’s behalf.
The document was dated eight days earlier.
Two days before Rachel’s surgery.
Rachel read the signature again.
It was excellent.
But wrong.
She made the R in Rachel with a closed loop.
This one was open.
“I never signed this.”
Elaine sat beside her.
“Brooke said you did.”
“When?”
“She said you were worried something might happen during surgery.”
Rachel looked at her.
“Did I tell you that?”
“No.”
“Did you see me sign anything?”
Elaine shook her head.
Rachel turned to the second page.
The document granted Brooke authority over bank transactions, insurance matters, and limited real-estate decisions if Rachel became incapacitated.
A paragraph had been initialed beside a handwritten addition.
Temporary access to residence for management, maintenance, leasing preparation, and sale consultation.
Rachel felt suddenly cold.
“You were putting me out of my condo.”
Elaine whispered, “Brooke said you couldn’t recover here alone.”
“So where was I supposed to go?”
“With me.”
Elaine lived in a small two-bedroom townhouse in Glenview.
Rachel looked toward the hallway.
Her packed suitcase suddenly made sense.
Brooke had not come to help her move.
She had already decided Rachel was moving.
Then Rachel noticed something else.
The notary’s commission stamp listed an office in Oak Brook.
Rachel knew the name.
She had seen it before.
May you like
Not on one of her documents.
On paperwork from Brooke’s real-estate business.
