Chapter 2 - Window Four
Chloe barely slept.
At two in the morning, she sat at her kitchen table studying photographs of the passbook entries.
Every suspicious withdrawal had Richard’s initials.
Some were dated when Chloe had been a child.
One was dated three months after her mother died.
Another was dated on Chloe’s eighteenth birthday.
Her college savings.
The scholarship fund her father had once claimed had “disappeared because of banking fees.”
Gone.
She opened the handwritten note again.
Ask for the account marked with the red stamp.
She had no idea what that meant.
At 8:07 the next morning, Chloe walked into First Oak Bank.
She was still wearing the black dress from the funeral.
The mud stains remained near the hem.
A young teller smiled.
“Good morning. How can I help you?”
Chloe placed the blue passbook on the counter.
“This belonged to my grandmother.”
The teller picked it up.
“Margaret Henderson?”
“Yes.”
The woman typed the account number.
Her smile disappeared.
She typed again.
Then she looked at Chloe.
“Can I see your identification?”
Chloe handed over her driver's license.
The teller stared at the screen.
Her fingers froze above the keyboard.
“What is it?” Chloe asked.
“I need my manager.”
“Why?”
The teller didn't answer.
She picked up the phone.
“Mr. Alvarez? I need you at window four.”
She paused.
“And security.”
Chloe’s stomach tightened.
“Why are you calling security?”
The teller lowered her voice.
“Please don't leave.”
A man in a gray suit hurried over.
He was in his fifties, with silver hair and a crooked name badge.
“I'm Daniel Alvarez, branch manager.”
He looked at the passbook.
Then at Chloe.
“Who gave you this?”
“My grandmother.”
“When?”
“Yesterday. Well… technically, I found it at her grave.”
Daniel's face changed.
“Your grandmother is Margaret Henderson?”
“Yes.”
He locked the drawer beneath the counter.
“Come with me.”
“Why?”
“Because we can't discuss this here.”
Chloe followed him into a private office.
Daniel closed the blinds.
He placed the passbook on his desk.
“I need you to understand something.”
“What?”
“This account has been under internal restriction for twelve years.”
Chloe stared.
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone has been trying to access funds that legally could not be touched.”
“Who?”
Daniel looked directly at her.
“Richard Henderson.”
Chloe felt cold.
“My father?”
Daniel nodded.
“He came here several times.”
“What did he want?”
“Access to an account connected to your grandmother.”
“What account?”
Daniel opened a secure file.
Then he stopped.
“I can't tell you everything until we verify your identity.”
“I just showed you my license.”
“That isn't enough.”
“Then what is?”
Daniel reached into a folder.
He pulled out an old document.
A birth certificate.
Chloe's name was printed across the top.
Her father's name appeared beneath it.
Her mother's name appeared beside his.
But underneath the official information was a handwritten bank notation.
Daniel pointed to it.
“Your grandmother created a protected trust when you were born.”
Chloe's mouth went dry.
“A trust?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“We can't disclose the balance yet.”
“Why?”
“Because there is a pending fraud investigation.”
“Against my father?”
Daniel nodded.
Before Chloe could respond, the office door opened.
A security officer stepped inside.
Behind him stood a police detective.
Detective Marcus Reed.
He introduced himself calmly.
“Ms. Henderson, we need to ask you some questions.”
“About my father?”
“About your grandmother.”
Chloe sat down.
“What happened?”
Marcus placed a photograph on the desk.
It showed Margaret signing a document.
“She came here six months ago.”
Chloe stared.
“She was planning something.”
“What?”
“To expose someone.”
Daniel looked at Marcus.
Marcus continued.
“Your grandmother believed Richard had been stealing from the family.”
“He was.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't she report him?”
Marcus's expression softened.
“Because she was afraid he'd hurt you.”
Chloe closed her eyes.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The secrecy.
The warnings.
The blue book.
Then Marcus said something that changed everything.
“Your grandmother also believed Richard had falsified a legal document.”
“What document?”
Marcus slid another photograph toward her.
Chloe looked down.
Her blood ran cold.
It was a will.
Her grandmother's signature appeared at the bottom.
But Chloe recognized something immediately.
“That isn't her handwriting.”
Daniel nodded.
“We believe you're right.”
May you like
Then Marcus looked Chloe in the eyes.
“And that's why the police were called.”
