Solo sank deeper onto the couch, but her dad’s imminent arrival lightened the heavy feeling in her heart just a little. He’d always been there for her, no matter what scrapes and stupid situations she got herself into. She couldn’t wait for him to arrive, but she had a nasty ache in her gut that told her he wouldn’t be able to make everything all right this time.
CHAPTER 4
Janie wavedto Rosie through the glass partition walls as she came around to the door of the conference room and took a deep breath before she went in. Rosie’s smile didn’t look anywhere near as genuine as it usually did.
“Are you sure you’re still okay to do this?” Rosie asked as soon as Janie closed the door behind her.
Janie bit her tongue instead of clenching her jaw. The movement was imperceptible to anyone watching, which she’d long ago discovered was useful to disguising her emotions. “Of course. I wouldn’t let you down after offering to help.” She bit down even harder as the words left a trail of acid in their wake.But you’ve let your family down easily enough, haven’t you?She blinked, choosing not to re-engage in the ever-present diatribe in her head, and took a seat opposite Rosie. She hit the remote, and the glass walls turned opaque. “Are you sure you still want me involved? I don’t want things to be awkward.”
“I’m good if you are.”
Rosie adjusted her blazer, her actions belying her real feelings. No matter. Janie had to take Rosie at her word, and even if this took half a year to resolve, they wouldn’t have to meet all that often. “Most of our communication over the next six months can be via email after this initial meeting,” Janie said, expecting the disappointed expression Rosie failed to hide.
“Six months?” Rosie ran her hand through her hair and leaned back in her chair. “How is it my mom is still able to mess with my life even though she’s dead?”
Janie gave her the patient, professional smile every lawyer had to learn, because clients almost always expected miracles. “It’s aprocess, I’m afraid. Luckily, your case isn’t all that complicated because there isn’t a broader identity theft problem beyond the loan being taken in your name.”
Rosie sighed and nodded slowly. “So how will this work?”
“Obviously, you’ve already told your bank that a fraud has occurred, but we need to report it officially, to them and to the major credit bureaus. We also have to report the crime to the FTC, which?—”
“FTC?” Rosie held up her hand.
“Sorry, the Federal Trade Commission. We have to file an identity theft report with them.”
“Even though the woman who stole it is dead?”
Janie inclined her head at Rosie’s dispassionate delivery. The memorial for Rosie’s mom had only been two days ago; was Rosie in denial? Hannah hadn’t shared much in the way of details about Rosie and her mom’s relationship, but Janie supposed that, if the woman was prepared to put her daughter into $50k worth of debt, it couldn’t have been that pleasant. Her own familial connections were complicated, and money had been an issue with them too, but at least she’d never had to deal with something quite like this.
“That’s correct,” Janie said. “Then I’ll need you to gather any and all evidence that shows you couldn’t have been the person who opened the account.”
Rosie frowned. “Like what?”
“Sworn statements from colleagues, clients, friends, or anyone you might’ve seen or interacted with over the time period when the account was applied for and opened. Photos with metadata showing your location. Any receipts for anything you purchased during the same time: coffee, gas, restaurant bills.” Janie smiled again, recognizing Rosie’s growing impatience. “Whatever you can think of that will provide tangible evidence. All of it will help.”
Rosie nodded slowly again as she made notes on her phone. “And then what?”
“The bank will have to investigate, and that can take up tothree months. That’s one of the reasons I said this might take six months. Their wheels can move slowly, and it depends on how many cases they’re handling at the time. I’ll keep the pressure on, and that usually encourages them to move quicker. Most people don’t tend to have lawyers deal with these things for them.”
Rosie looked up from her phone and frowned. “Are you sure this isn’t an imposition? I’m happy to pay for your time.”
“You say that, but you don’t know what my hourly rate is.” Janie smiled, but this time, she gave Rosie a real one. “You don’t want to find yourself in even more debt.”
Rosie shrugged. “I guess not.”
“And my assistant will be doing most of the work, because it’s really very simple.”
Rosie raised her right eyebrow, and her jaw clenched slightly. “So I should be able to do it myself?”
Janie inclined her head. “You could absolutely do this all yourself, no problem. But this way, you can put it to the back of your mind for a few months, and we can apply pressure when necessary and push for a faster resolution. I’m just saying that you don’t need to worry about it being an imposition. I’m happy to do it for,” she said and swallowed, “a friend of Hannah’s.”
Rosie’s expression softened, and she put her hand on the table between them, not quite reaching for Janie. “Are you okay?”
Janie recognized Rosie’s change to therapist tone and instinctively drew back a few inches. There was something about the softness of it that pulled at the emotions she was trying to keep out of view. She couldn’t give them free rein, especially at work. And she was already thinking of canceling her session later this week with her actual therapist; she didn’t need another one trying to get inside her head. Janie didn’t want to be there, so why was everyone else so eager to join her? “I’m fine,” she said and didn’t hold Rosie’s gentle gaze.
Rosie pulled her hand away slowly and settled back in her chair. “When someone you trust asks that question, I hope youcan give them a more honest answer.”
Janie sighed. “Probably not.” She couldn’t trust herself anymore, so what chance did anyone else have? She realized the implication of her words when Rosie half-smiled. “Not that I don’t trust you. It’s just?—”
