Chapter 8 - Arthur and Martha’s Hidden Bankruptcy
On Friday morning, Thomas Sterling arrived at my cabin carrying a thick, leather-bound portfolio.
We sat on the porch in the crisp morning air, steam rising from our coffee mugs as Thomas opened the file.
“Evelyn,” Thomas said, adjusting his glasses. “We ran a complete forensic asset and public records search on Arthur and Martha Jenkins through the Washington State bankruptcy court.”
“What did you find, Thomas?”
“They didn't sell their Spokane townhouse because the taxes were high,” Thomas revealed, tapping a certified court transcript. “The property was seized under a judicial foreclosure order six weeks ago.”
I looked at him in surprise. “Foreclosure?”
“Arthur took out three separate equity lines of credit to invest in a speculative commercial real estate venture in Idaho that went completely bust two years ago,” Thomas explained. “He was leveraged for over four hundred thousand dollars. When the bank foreclosed, they had eleven thousand dollars left to their names—barely enough to buy that used travel trailer.”
The entire picture snapped into crystal-clear focus.
Clare wasn't trying to help her parents 'downsize for their golden years.'
She was trying to build a shelter for them on my land before the Washington state creditors could seize their remaining liquid assets. She had intended to construct the two-unit duplex on my pasture, transfer the utility infrastructure costs onto my clean credit profile, and use my nine-acre debt-free property as a financial shield against her father’s catastrophic bankruptcy.
“Did Caleb know about this?” I asked.
“Not a word,” Thomas said. “Arthur and Clare kept the bankruptcy completely off the radar. They told Caleb the townhouse sold for a record cash profit and that the funds were tied up in a short-term certificate of deposit.”
I closed the portfolio with a heavy sigh.
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Greed is an ugly thing, but deceit wrapped in the guise of family devotion is poisonous.
“Thomas,” I said, looking out over the Mission Mountains. “Keep the fraud affidavit active with the County Attorney. It’s time for a family meeting that doesn't involve shouting in the rain.”
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