Chapter 6 - The Price of Coming CleanBy sunrise, the investigation was no longer about one stolen house.
Federal agents sealed Richard Benton’s office.
Three title-company employees were questioned.
A notary was arrested.
Two bank employees were placed on administrative leave.
The judge named in Richard’s notebook denied wrongdoing, but investigators found unexplained payments routed through a consulting company owned by his brother.
Sarah’s stolen house had become the loose thread that unraveled an entire network.
And Jenna had helped create it.
That reality could not be avoided.
She was released from the hospital into police custody.
Sarah visited her before arraignment.
Mark offered to wait outside.
“No,” Sarah said. “Come with me.”
Jenna sat behind reinforced glass wearing county-issued clothing.
For the first time Mark could remember, she looked younger than her age.
Not innocent.
Just frightened.
Sarah picked up the phone.
Jenna did the same.
“Hi, Mom.”
Sarah swallowed.
“Hi.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“My lawyer says I could go to prison.”
“You might.”
Jenna flinched.
Mark watched Sarah struggle against every maternal instinct telling her to rescue her daughter.
But rescue was what had helped create this version of Jenna.
Sarah understood that now.
“I want you to cooperate,” she said.
“I am.”
“Completely.”
“I told them everything.”
“Even if it makes things worse for you.”
Jenna looked down.
“Yes.”
Sarah pressed her palm against the glass.
After several seconds, Jenna placed hers opposite it.
“I love you,” Sarah said.
“I love you too.”
“But I’m not fixing this.”
Jenna began crying.
“I know.”
“This is yours to face.”
“I know.”
Sarah closed her eyes.
Then Jenna looked past her toward Mark.
“Can I talk to him?”
Sarah hesitated before handing him the phone.
Mark sat.
Jenna wiped her cheeks.
“You two together?”
Mark nearly dropped the receiver.
“This seems like a strange time.”
“That means yes.”
“It means your mother is going through something horrible and I care about her.”
Jenna gave a weak laugh.
“You always talk like an HR manual when you’re uncomfortable.”
Some things apparently survived criminal indictments.
“Jenna.”
“I know.”
She became serious.
“I treated you badly.”
Mark said nothing.
“I cheated on you.”
Sarah turned sharply.
Mark had never told her that.
Jenna continued.
“Kyle and I started before you and I ended.”
Mark looked at Sarah.
Pain crossed her face—not for herself.
For him.
“I know,” Mark said.
“You knew?”
“Eventually.”
“Why didn’t you tell Mom?”
“Because I wasn’t trying to recruit your mother into our breakup.”
Jenna looked ashamed.
“I told everybody you were boring.”
“I remember.”
“You weren’t.”
Mark almost smiled.
“That’s very healing.”
She laughed once through tears.
Then her expression changed.
“Take care of her.”
Mark looked at Sarah.
“That’s her decision.”
Jenna nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
For once, she seemed to understand.
Kyle survived surgery.
His testimony filled crucial gaps.
He admitted helping forge documents and move money. He also admitted he had known about some of his father’s earlier fraud.
But he insisted he had not known Richard was responsible for David’s death until three months earlier.
When he discovered the truth, he panicked.
Instead of going to police, he tried to protect himself and Jenna.
That decision nearly got both killed.
Richard remained missing.
For twelve days.
During those twelve days, Sarah moved from Mark’s spare bedroom back into her house.
A judge froze the fraudulent transfer, restored her possession, and prohibited any further transaction involving the property.
Mark helped replace locks.
The first evening back, Sarah stood in her living room looking strangely uncomfortable.
“You okay?”
“It doesn’t feel like mine anymore.”
“It will.”
“You always say things like they’re facts.”
“Occupational hazard.”
She smiled.
Then looked around.
“Stay for dinner.”
Mark did.
Dinner became midnight.
Midnight became a conversation on the couch.
Sarah told him about marrying David at twenty-two.
Mark told her about growing up with a father who believed emotional conversations could be solved by mowing the lawn.
Sarah laughed.
Mark loved making her laugh.
He was beginning to understand that clearly.
Around 1:00 a.m., Sarah said, “I’m scared.”
“Of Richard?”
“Of this.”
She gestured between them.
Mark leaned back.
“Okay.”
“That’s all?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“That it’s ridiculous.”
“It isn’t.”
“That people will judge us.”
“They will.”
“That Jenna might hate it.”
“She might.”
Sarah frowned.
“You’re terrible at reassurance.”
“I’m trying not to lie to you.”
That silenced her.
Mark continued.
“If we do this, it’ll be complicated. But complicated isn’t the same thing as wrong.”
Sarah studied him.
“What do you want?”
“You.”
No joke.
No hesitation.
Sarah inhaled slowly.
“Mark…”
His phone rang.
They both groaned.
Alvarez.
Mark answered.
She did not waste time.
“We found Richard.”
Sarah stood.
“Where?”
Mark listened.
Then his expression changed.
“He surrendered?”
“No.”
Alvarez’s voice came through clearly enough for Sarah to hear.
“Richard Benton was found dead forty minutes ago.”
Sarah stared at Mark.
May you like
Alvarez continued.
“And we don’t think he killed himself.”
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