I called Russell Keane the next morning.
He was sixty-seven years old, retired from the FBI’s Cincinnati field office after twenty-four years of white-collar investigations. Now he did forensic accounting for lawyers out of a small office above a bakery on High Street in Worthington. Two blocks from Opal’s house.
He met me at nine o’clock that same morning.
He was a big, quiet man with a gray mustache and reading glasses on a chain. He listened to my whole story. He read the text from Monica on Opal’s phone. He looked at the photo of the house for a long time.
“What did they do with the deed?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “The house was in my name. Only mine. I bought it with my inheritance before I ever married Trevor. I paid off half of it by 2018.”
Russell pulled his laptop closer. He typed for a minute.
Then he turned the screen toward me.
It was the Franklin County Recorder’s website. The property records for my house on Brand Road.
“Look at this,” he said quietly.
There it was.
A quitclaim deed. Recorded on September 14th, 2021.
It transferred my house from Rebecca A. Hale to an LLC called Brand Road Holdings.
My signature was at the bottom.
And it was notarized. By a notary public named Douglas Pike, of Columbus, Ohio. The notary certificate said I’d “personally appeared” before him on September 10th, 2021, and signed the deed in his presence.
I stared at that date.
“Mr. Keane,” I said slowly. “On September 10th, 2021, I was in the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. I was in Harmon Hall, unit 4B. I hadn’t left that building in nine months.”
Russell took off his reading glasses.
He looked at me for a long time.
“Then you didn’t personally appear in front of anybody,” he said. “Did you?”
“No.”
“And neither did your signature.”
He clicked again. Brand Road Holdings LLC was registered with the Ohio Secretary of State in August 2021. The statutory agent was Monica Hale.
Then he pulled up the mortgage records.
Two months after the deed was recorded, Brand Road Holdings took out a $410,000 mortgage on my house. From a private lender in Cleveland.
Russell sat back in his chair.
“Your sister forged your signature on a deed while you were in prison,” he said. “She had it notarized by somebody who’s either crooked or got fooled. She put your house in her own company. Then she borrowed four hundred thousand dollars against it.”
“And now she’s selling it,” I whispered. “Before I can find out.”
“Before you can stop it,” Russell said. “Once a house sells to an innocent buyer, getting it back gets a lot harder.”
My hands were shaking.
“How much will this cost?” I asked him. “I make six hundred dollars a week.”
Russell looked at me over his mustache.
“Opal already called me last night,” he said. “She told me to send her the bill.”
“I can’t let her do that.”
“Then pay her back when you can,” he said. “She told me you’d say that. She said to tell you she’s keeping a ledger. And that you’re the only person she trusts to keep it.”
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
Ethan holds a degree in Communications from Zurich University, where he developed his expertise in storytelling, media strategy, and audience engagement. Known for his ability to blend creativity with analytical precision, he excels at creating content that not only entertains but also connects deeply with readers.
At TheArchivists, Ethan specializes in uncovering compelling stories that reflect a wide range of human experiences. His work is celebrated for its authenticity, creativity, and ability to spark meaningful conversations, earning him recognition among peers and readers alike.
Passionate about the art of storytelling, Ethan enjoys exploring themes of culture, history, and personal growth, aiming to inspire and inform with every piece he creates. Dedicated to making a lasting impact, Ethan continues to push boundaries in the ever-evolving world of digital content.