I touched the cold edge of the paper with my index finger.

“Will Mark face legal consequences for forging my signature on the credit line?”

“If we file a formal affidavit of forgery with First National Bank, it triggers an immediate criminal fraud investigation,” Rachel said.

“That wipes out his legal leverage and puts sole liability for the debt on him, while confirming the house down payment was yours alone.”

She checked her desk clock, which read ten forty-five, and wrote the exact time on her yellow legal pad.

“I need the original down payment deposit records from your grandmother’s estate,” Rachel said.