“What the hell?” Ethan shouted. “Who are you? Do you know who I am?”
A dozen officers in tactical vests swarmed the kitchen. They ignored Ethan completely. They went straight for Isabella.
“Isabella Rossi!” A detective shouted, leveling a weapon at her. “Hands where I can see them!”
Isabella screamed. Her poise evaporated instantly. Her fake posh British accent slipped into a coarse, panicked dialect from somewhere in Jersey.
“It wasn’t me!” she shrieked, cowering behind Ethan. “He made me do it! I’m just a guest!”
“Isabella Rossi,” the detective read from a warrant as two officers grabbed her, wrenching her arms behind her back. “You are under arrest for grand larceny, wire fraud, and identity theft across four states.”
Ethan stood frozen, his hands half-raised. “Wait! There’s a mistake! She’s an heiress! She bought this house yesterday!”
The detective laughed—a harsh, barking sound. “She’s broke, buddy. She’s been squatting in empty mansions for two years. She has about twelve dollars to her name and a lot of maxed-out credit cards in stolen names.”
“But… the deed…” Ethan stammered, looking at Isabella, who was now being handcuffed against the granite island. “She showed me the transfer!”
“Photoshop,” the detective said. “She’s good at it.”
Isabella looked at Ethan, her eyes wild. “Ethan, baby, bail me out! Use the family silver! Sell the car!”
Ethan backed away, horror dawning on his face.
Just then, another figure stepped through the broken door frame. He wasn’t wearing a uniform. He was wearing an expensive suit.
It was Mr. Vance, my lawyer.
“The deed is right here, actually,” Vance said calmly, holding up a blue legal document stamped with the official county seal.
Ethan looked at Vance. “Who are you?”
“I represent the Clara Thorne Trust,” Vance said. “The entity that purchased this property from the bank three days ago. Your wife owns this house, Ethan. Free and clear.”
Ethan blinked. “Clara? But… she has no money. She’s unemployed.”
“She is the sole beneficiary of the Thorne Estate,” Vance corrected. “She has been quietly managing her assets for years. She bought this house to save you from foreclosure. A foreclosure you caused.”
Vance looked around the kitchen. “And since your name is not on the deed, and you have just been served divorce papers…”
continued on next page
For complete cooking times, go to the next page or click the Open button (>), and don't forget to SHARE with your Facebook friends.
