Chapter 8: The House That Never Existed
I stared at Tasha.
“What do you mean, the house was already under contract?””
She pressed her palms against her knees.
“Robert showed me a property in Decatur. Three bedrooms, a finished basement, a big backyard. He said it would be a good rental investment, and eventually we could use it as our family home.””
“Did you visit it?””
“Yes.””
“Did you meet the owner?””
“No. Robert said the owner lived out of state.””
“Did you sign anything?””
She looked down.
“Yes.””
Nicole pulled her chair closer.
“What did you sign?””
“An investor reservation agreement. Robert said it was a standard document that showed I was serious about the purchase.””
“Did you pay a deposit?””
Tasha hesitated.
“How much?”” I asked.
“Fifteen thousand dollars.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“Where did you get fifteen thousand dollars?””
“From my savings.””
“Your savings?””
“Yes.””
I had known Tasha earned a reasonable salary at her marketing job. I also knew she enjoyed expensive clothes, restaurants, and weekend trips. She had never mentioned saving that amount.
“You had fifteen thousand dollars sitting in an account?””
“I had been saving for years.””
“Then why did you need to use my property as collateral?””
“Because Robert said the deposit was only the beginning. He told me the investment would require additional funds, but he said he had a financing arrangement that would cover most of it.””
Nicole interrupted gently.
“Did the reservation agreement identify the property owner?””
“Yes.””
“Did you independently verify that person's identity?””
“No.””
“Did you hire an attorney to review the agreement?””
Tasha shook her head.
Nicole made a note.
“Do you have a copy of the agreement?””
“On the flash drive.””
I watched her carefully.
“Did you tell your mother about the deposit?””
“Yes.””
“Did she tell you to proceed?””
“She said it was a good opportunity. She said Robert knew what he was doing.””
I walked toward the window.
Outside, the backyard was almost empty now. The folding tables were covered in abandoned napkins and half-finished plates. A few guests were leaving through the gate, speaking in low voices.
The party had become a disaster.
But the embarrassment barely mattered anymore.
Tasha had lost fifteen thousand dollars of her own money, potentially exposed my company to a fraudulent transaction, and involved her mother in a scheme neither of them seemed willing to explain completely.
And somehow, we were still discovering new layers.
“Nicole,” I said, “can you find out whether the Decatur property is actually for sale?””
“I can have my office investigate the public records and verify the listing through independent sources. We shouldn't rely on anything Mr. Carter provided.””
She turned back to Tasha.
“Do you have the property's address?””
Tasha opened her phone and showed us a photograph of a house with a broad front porch and fresh landscaping.
She read the address aloud.
Nicole entered it into her laptop.
A few minutes later, she looked up.
“The property is real.””
Tasha exhaled.
“See? I told you.””
Nicole continued.
“But the current public records identify a different owner, and the listing information does not match the documents in the reservation agreement.””
Tasha's face fell.
“What does that mean?””
“It means we need to investigate further before drawing conclusions.””
I stepped closer to the laptop.
“Can we contact the owner?””
“Not until we've verified the details and identified the proper channel. I'll have my office handle it.””
Tasha began shaking her head.
“No. No, the owner can't be someone else. Robert showed me the property. He said he had an agreement with the seller.””
“Did you see the agreement?””
“He showed me a document.””
“Did you verify it?””
“No.””
Nicole turned the screen toward us.
“The property appears to have been under contract before the date of your reservation agreement. That doesn't automatically establish fraud, but it raises questions about what you were told.””
Tasha stared at the screen.
“So where did my money go?””
“That is one of the questions we need to answer.””
Tasha stood abruptly.
“I need to call him.””
“Don't,” Nicole said.
“He took my money!””
“I understand you're upset, but don't confront him or make threats. Preserve the communications and let the appropriate professionals investigate.””
Tasha paced toward the hallway, then turned back.
“I can't just sit here!””
“You can start by telling us everything,” I said.
She stopped.
For several seconds, she looked at me as if she wanted to argue.
Then she returned to the stool.
“Robert said the property was worth four hundred and twenty thousand dollars. He told me he could secure it for three hundred and eighty thousand if I paid the reservation deposit and helped arrange the financing.””
“Did he explain why the price was lower?””
“He said the owner needed to sell quickly.””
“Did you see a signed purchase contract?””
“No.””
“Did he promise you ownership?””
“Yes.””
“Did he explain how the loan against my property would work?””
“He said your company would provide collateral temporarily. He said the money would be repaid after the new properties were refinanced.””
I shook my head.
“And you believed that?””
“I wanted to believe it.””
There was the truth beneath all the excuses.
She hadn't necessarily believed every word Robert said.
She had believed what his promises offered her.
A house of her own. A future she could show people. Proof that she hadn't spent four years waiting for nothing.
And once she had invested her savings, admitting she might have been deceived became harder than continuing to believe.
“Why didn't you tell me about the fifteen thousand dollars?”” I asked.
“Because I knew you'd ask questions.””
“What questions?””
“Whether the investment was legitimate. Whether I had researched Robert. Whether I had spoken to a lawyer.””
“Those seem like reasonable questions.””
“I know that now.””
“No. You knew that then. That's why you didn't tell me.””
She lowered her head.
Nicole continued reviewing the emails on the flash drive. After several minutes, she stopped scrolling.
“Marcus, I think you should see this.””
She turned the laptop toward me.
The email thread contained messages between Tasha and Robert. Several were ordinary discussions about property prices, deposits, and expected returns.
Then I found a message from Robert dated two days before the barbecue.
The existing property owner has not authorized any sale. We need to complete the financing arrangement first. Once funds are available, we can negotiate the next steps.
I read it twice.
“The owner hasn't authorized a sale?””
Nicole nodded.
“That is what the email states.””
I looked at Tasha.
“Robert knew he didn't have permission to sell the property.””
Tasha covered her mouth.
Another email appeared below it.
This one was from Tasha.
I don't understand. You told me the house was secured.
Robert's response was brief.
It will be. Don't create unnecessary problems by involving Marcus before the financing is complete.
I felt sick.
He hadn't merely exaggerated the investment.
He had actively encouraged Tasha to keep me in the dark.
Nicole scrolled further.
A second message appeared.
Your mother understands the urgency. If we get the authorization in place, everyone gets what they need.
Tasha stared at the screen.
“What does that mean?””
Nicole didn't answer immediately.
She opened an attachment.
It was a draft agreement listing three parties: Robert Carter's investment company, Denise Williams, and a third entity called Carter Property Solutions.
The agreement described a consulting payment to Denise and a proposed acquisition of the Decatur property.
The money would be released only after financing was secured.
And the collateral was my rental house.
Tasha's face crumpled.
“My mother knew.””
I looked at her.
“You said you didn't know whether she understood the plan.””
“I didn't know she had seen this.””
Nicole examined the document's final page.
“There is a signature block for Denise, but this copy appears unsigned. We need to verify whether a completed version exists.””
Tasha grabbed her phone and called her mother.
The call rang four times before Denise answered.
“What now?”” Denise snapped.
“Mom, did you know Robert was using Marcus's property to finance the Decatur house?””
A pause.
Then Denise replied, “I told you he was arranging an investment.””
“That isn't what I asked!””
“Lower your voice.””
“Did you know the owner hadn't agreed to sell?””
Denise said nothing.
Tasha began to cry.
“Mom, I gave him fifteen thousand dollars!””
“Then you should have been more careful.””
The cruelty of the answer left Tasha speechless.
I stared at the phone.
“Denise,” I said, “you knew your daughter had put her savings into this deal, and you encouraged her to proceed even though the property wasn't available for sale?””
“You have no right to question me.””
“I have every right to ask why my property was used in an application I never approved.””
“You've made your point, Marcus.””
“No, I haven't. Not yet.””
Denise's voice dropped.
“Listen to me. Robert said he could still recover the money. If you cooperate, nobody has to lose anything.””
Nicole shook her head, silently warning me not to promise anything.
I kept my voice steady.
“What exactly does he need from me?””
“A signature.””
The answer came too quickly.
I glanced at Nicole.
Denise continued.
“He says the lender needs one final authorization. If you sign it, the transaction can be completed and the deposit recovered.””
I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“You want me to sign another document?””
“I'm telling you how we can fix this.””
“You're asking me to put my property at risk to recover money Tasha gave to a man you introduced her to.””
“You're making it sound worse than it is.””
“Then send the document to Nicole. Let her review it.””
Silence.
“Denise?””
“I don't have it.””
“Then ask Robert to send it.””
“He won't send it to a lawyer.””
Nicole leaned toward the phone.
“Then he has no legitimate reason to withhold it.””
Denise immediately raised her voice.
“Stay out of this!””
“The document concerns my client's property,” Nicole replied.
“I will not stay out of it.””
Denise ended the call.
Tasha slowly lowered her phone.
For the first time, she seemed to understand that her mother might not be able to save her from the consequences of what had happened.
I pulled out a chair and sat opposite her.
“Your mother is not going to fix this.””
She nodded faintly.
“And Robert isn't going to fix it by asking me to sign another document.””
“I know.””
“Do you?””
“Yes.””
I waited.
She looked at me through swollen eyes.
“Marcus, I need to tell you something else.””
My chest tightened.
“What now?””
“Robert didn't just want your signature.””
She reached into her handbag and removed a folded piece of paper.
It was a printed photograph of my office filing cabinet.
The cabinet door was open.
On the desk beside it lay a folder containing company records.
I stared at the image.
“When was this taken?””
“Three weeks ago.””
“Who took it?””
Tasha swallowed.
“Robert.””
I looked up.
“How did he get inside my office?””
May you like
Her voice was barely audible.
“Because I let him in.””
