“My retainer is twenty thousand. Plus court costs, expert fees—probably another twenty. And there’s no guarantee of a positive outcome.”
Susan didn’t have that kind of money. Her salary as an accountant was barely enough to cover their monthly expenses, and their savings wouldn’t last a month. She thanked the lawyer and left, knowing that legal action was out of the question. That evening, she tried applying for a consolidation loan at another bank, hoping to at least buy some time. But she was rejected everywhere. As a co-borrower on her husband’s defaulted loan, she was now blacklisted by every financial institution.
The next day at work, her boss called her into his office. He seemed nervous and avoided eye contact.
“Susan, we have a delicate situation here. I’ve heard some rumors about your financial difficulties.”
“It doesn’t affect my work,” Susan tried to argue.
“I understand, but our firm values its reputation. Clients might question the reliability of an accountant who has debt problems. I think it would be best if you resigned. I’ll give you a good reference, of course.”
Susan knew it was useless to argue. Someone had made sure the news of her problems spread. She wrote her letter of resignation, feeling the ground crumble beneath her.
When she got home, the kids were unusually quiet. Katie was sitting at the table with her textbooks open but was just staring into space. Mikey was playing with his cars in the corner, without his usual energy.
“What’s wrong?” Susan asked.
Katie looked up, her eyes red from crying.
“Everyone at school is saying we’re going to be evicted. Lena’s mom works at the bank, and she told everyone about our debt. Now nobody wants to be my friend.”
Susan hugged her daughter, a helpless rage burning inside her. Someone was deliberately spreading this information to destroy her. But who, and why?
She couldn’t sleep that night, tossing and turning as she replayed the events in her head. At three in the morning, she was woken by a strange noise: someone was fiddling with the front door lock. Susan got out of bed and tiptoed to the hallway. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. Two men in dark clothes and ski masks entered the apartment. One was tall and thin, the other short and broad. They moved with confidence, as if they knew the layout.
Susan held her breath, pressing herself against the wall. Her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure they could hear it. The intruders went into the living room and began methodically searching the area.
“Look for the documents,” the tall one whispered. “Mark could have hidden something here.”
“What if she wakes up?” the other one asked.
“She won’t. The pills in her tea should keep her out for another couple of hours.”
A cold dread washed over Susan. They had been watching her, knew her routine. She had drunk a cup of tea before bed and had felt unusually drowsy. The men ransacked the living room, then moved to Mark’s office. Susan could hear them forcing open drawers, shuffling through papers.
One of them swore under his breath.
“Nothing but old bills and receipts. Where could he have stashed the real stuff? A safe deposit box, maybe?”
“Then we’d need a key or a power of attorney. Keep looking.”
They searched the entire apartment but didn’t find what they were looking for. Before leaving, the tall one peeked into the children’s rooms. Susan heard the floorboards creak and realized he was standing right beside her children’s beds.
“Nice kids,” he said softly. “It’d be a shame if something happened to them.”
It was a clear threat. Susan bit her lip until she tasted blood to keep from screaming.
Finally, the intruders left, carefully locking the door behind them. In the morning, the children woke up and didn’t notice anything amiss. The burglars had cleaned up after themselves, leaving only a subtle mess. But Mikey had suddenly developed a stutter, though he’d never had one before. The stress of the last few days had clearly taken its toll.
Susan knew this was about more than just a loan. Someone was looking for documents Mark had, and they were willing to do anything to get them. She had to find out what her late husband had gotten himself into.
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