Chapter 3: The Winter Coat and the Deepfake<\/p>\n
Eric didn\u2019t pull out a weapon. He pulled out a folded piece of thick, watermarked paper. He tossed it onto the dining table. It landed perfectly between the three terrified tenants.
\n\u201cQuitclaim deed,\u201d Eric said, a smug grin twisting his scarred face. \u201cRecorded with the county four months ago. Chloe transferred ownership to Valerie. Valerie then leveraged the equity to secure a loan from my\u2026 associates. A hundred and twenty thousand dollars, to be exact.\u201d
\nThe room started to spin. I stared at the paper. It was a copy of a deed. At the bottom, clear as day, was my signature. Next to it was the stamp and signature of a Washington State notary public.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s a lie,\u201d I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper. \u201cI\u2019ve been in Singapore for six years. I never signed that.\u201d
\n\u201cCounty clerk accepted it,\u201d Eric shrugged, leaning against the doorframe, effectively blocking any exit. \u201cNotary stamped it. Makes it legal. You owe us the house, or you owe us the money, sweetheart.\u201d
\nValerie sat up straighter, her confidence returning. \u201cYou see, Chloe? You can\u2019t just swoop in here and play savior. The house is mine. Now pack your bags and go back to Asia before Eric has to get unfriendly.\u201d
\nMy heart hammered against my ribs, but a cold, sharp clarity began to pierce through the panic. I looked at the notary stamp. It was an online notarization.
\nI pulled out my phone and dialed my attorney, Rebecca, putting her on speaker.
\n\u201cRebecca, it\u2019s Chloe. I\u2019m at the house. There\u2019s a man here claiming they have a quitclaim deed signed by me four months ago via an online notary.\u201d
\nRebecca\u2019s voice crackled through the speaker, crisp and professional. \u201cI\u2019ve already pulled the county record, Chloe. I saw it an hour ago after you texted me the address. I contacted the notary service. It\u2019s a sophisticated fraud. They used a deepfake.\u201d
\nEric\u2019s smug smile faltered.
\n\u201cThe notary confirmed they conducted a video call,\u201d Rebecca continued. \u201cBut the fraud department reviewed the footage. Someone used an AI voice modulator and a digital face-swap of your social media photos to pass the video verification. The IP address for the call originated from Valerie\u2019s laptop. It\u2019s wire fraud, identity theft, and forgery.\u201d
\nI looked at Valerie. The color vanished from her face again.
\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter!\u201d Eric barked, stepping forward, his massive frame casting a shadow over the table. \u201cWe have the paper! The money is gone! You think a couple of cops are going to care about some computer nerd stuff?\u201d
\nRight on cue, the wail of sirens pierced the evening air. Red and blue lights began flashing through the front windows. I hadn\u2019t just texted Rebecca the address; I had texted the Seattle Police the moment I saw Valerie\u2019s text in the basement.
\nTwo officers burst through the door, led by Officer Miller, a veteran cop with no patience for nonsense.
\n\u201cEverybody stay exactly where you are,\u201d Miller ordered, his hand resting on his duty belt.
\nEric raised his hands, backing away from me, his eyes darting toward the back door. Valerie burst into tears, the classic victim routine.
\n\u201cOfficer, thank God!\u201d Valerie cried. \u201cMy sister is having a mental break! She\u2019s threatening me and my mother! My mother has severe dementia, she doesn\u2019t know what\u2019s going on!\u201d
\nMom, who had been silently helped up the stairs by Liam during the commotion, stood in the doorway of the kitchen. She was still wearing the heavy, inappropriate winter coat. She looked frail, but the cloudy look in her eyes had been replaced by a sharp, burning anger.
\n\u201cI know exactly what\u2019s going on,\u201d Mom said, her voice surprisingly steady.
\nOfficer Miller looked at her. \u201cMa\u2019am, your daughter says you\u2019re confused.\u201d
\n\u201cMy daughter,\u201d Mom said, pointing a trembling finger at Valerie, \u201cis a liar. And a thief.\u201d
\nMom reached up to the collar of the heavy winter coat. She pulled at a loose thread near the seam of the inner lining. With a sharp tug, she ripped the lining open.
\nInside the coat, pinned securely to the fabric, were dozens of documents. Real bank statements. Her original will. Her genuine medical records proving she had no cognitive decline.
\nAnd a small, black digital voice recorder.
\nMom unpinned the recorder and pressed play.
\nThe audio was crackly, but the voice was unmistakably Valerie\u2019s, hissing in the dark. \u201cYou listen to me, you old bat. If you breathe a word to Chloe about the basement, or the rent, I will throw you in a state facility so fast your head will spin. I\u2019ll tell the doctors you\u2019re insane. I\u2019ll take everything. You are nothing without me.\u201d
\nThe recording clicked off. The silence in the dining room was absolute, save for the hum of the refrigerator.
\nValerie collapsed into her chair, sobbing hysterically.
\nOfficer Miller took out his handcuffs. \u201cValerie, stand up. You have the right to remain silent.\u201d
\nAs the officers moved in to arrest my sister, Eric slowly backed toward the front door, slipping into the shadows of the porch. Before he disappeared into the night, he locked eyes with me. He didn\u2019t look angry. He looked predatory.
\nHe mouthed a single phrase to me over the chaos: \u201cYou still owe the money.\u201d.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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