She sits on her couch and examines the check like it's evidence in a trial. Which, I suppose, it might be.
"California Federal Credit Union," she reads. "That's a real bank. I can verify that much." She's already pulling out herphone, typing. "Yeah, it's legitimate. Based in San Francisco. Been around since 1950. Not some fly-by-night operation."
"So the check is real?"
"The bank is real. Whether the check is real is a different question." She picks up the card. "'You deserve better. P.C.' That's it? No other information?"
"That's everything."
"And it was just in your mailbox? No explanation, no contact information, nothing?"
I nod. My hands are shaking, so I shove them under my thighs.
Chloe sets the check down carefully on her coffee table. "Okay. Let's think through this logically. Who do you know with the initials P.C.?"
"Nobody. I've been running through everyone I can think of. I don't know anyone who has this kind of money."
"What about your mother? Could this be from someone she knows?"
"My mother doesn't have rich friends. She doesn't have any friends, really. She works, she goes home, that's it."
Chloe chews on her bottom lip, thinking. "The amount is too specific to be random. $387,443. That's not a round number. Someone calculated this exactly."
"It's what I owe. All of it. Hospital bills, student loans, credit cards. Everything."
"How would someone know that?"
"I don't know." My voice cracks. "That's what scares me. Who has access to that information?"
"Your credit report, for one. But that requires your social security number and..." She stops. "Have you checked your credit recently? Any suspicious activity?"
I pull out my phone and open the app I check obsessively. "Nothing. No new accounts, no hard inquiries. Just the same disaster it was yesterday."
Chloe picks up the check again. "We need to verify this. Call the bank."
"And say what? 'Hi, someone gave me almost four hundred thousand dollars and I'd like to confirm it's not a scam?'"
"More or less, yeah." She hands me her phone. "Put it on speaker."
I dial the number on the check. A recorded message walks me through options until I finally reach a human being.
"California Federal Credit Union, this is Rebecca. How can I help you?"
My mouth is dry. "Hi. I received a cashier's check from your bank, and I need to verify it's legitimate."
"I can help with that. Can you provide the check number?"
I read off the long string of numbers printed at the bottom. I hear her type furiously on the other end.
"Yes, I show that check in our system. It's a valid cashier's check drawn on an account in good standing."
My heart hammers. "So if I deposit this, it will clear?"
"Yes, ma'am. Cashier's checks are guaranteed funds. This check is for $387,443, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"That amount will be available immediately upon deposit."
