The house went completely quiet.

Uncle Raymond walked out to the front porch to call his wife, leaving Samuel, Melissa, and me standing around the oak desk.

“What happens to the house now?” I asked.

Samuel closed folder four and stacked it neatly on top of the first three blue folders.

“Because a fraudulent loan application was recorded against the title at the county recorder’s office, the bank has placed an administrative encumbrance hold on the property,” Samuel said.

“What does that mean for me?” I asked.