A restaurant charge—$310.
Three cash withdrawals from ATMs I had never visited.
Ryan stared at the papers.
“I didn’t make these,” he finally said.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“These are normal expenses,” she said coolly. “You said we could use the card.”
“For emergencies,” I answered. “And I said you should tell me.”
Just then the doorbell rang.
Once.
Then again.
I looked toward the door.
“And before you start shouting again,” I said quietly, “you’re about to meet the person who called me from the bank this morning.”
The bell rang again.
Vanessa’s smile faded.
I opened the door.
Standing outside was Laura Bennett, dressed in a dark business suit with a badge from the bank clipped to her jacket. Next to her stood a serious man in a plain coat—Detective Parker from the local police department.
They didn’t arrive with sirens.
They arrived with paperwork.
“Mrs. Patricia Morales?” Laura asked.
“Yes. Please come in.”
Ryan shifted nervously behind me. Vanessa remained stiff in the living room.
Laura sat down and opened her folder.
“This morning our fraud department detected unusual activity on your account,” she explained. “When you confirmed you didn’t make these purchases, we activated a fraud investigation.”