Chapter 3 - Shadows and Paper Trails
That evening, Caleb met me at a diner off the highway, sliding a thick manila folder across the booth.
"Your instincts were spot-on," Caleb said, sipping black coffee. "Landon’s 'suburban empire' isn't just underwater—it’s built on outright fraud. He’s been taking out fraudulent commercial loans using shell LLCs. And it gets worse."
I flipped open the first tab. A set of mortgage applications bore my late father’s signature—dated six months *after* he had passed away.
A razor-sharp anger flared behind my ribs. "They forged Dad's signature?"
"Landon forged your father's power of attorney right before he died, taking out a secondary lien against your parents' house. When that dried up, they targeted your military credit profile to roll the debts over. If you had co-signed, Barrett, you would have taken full legal liability for their grand larceny."
"What about the threat regarding stolen narcotics?"
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"Fabricated nonsense," Caleb said coldly. "We already informed the garrison provost marshal and the civilian district attorney. Now we wait for Landon to make his move."
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