I nodded, though every instinct was telling me I wouldn’t like where this was heading.
«Do you own your home outright?»
«Yes. Paid it off five years ago.»
«Significant retirement savings?»
«Between my teacher’s pension, my husband’s life insurance, and my 401k, yes.»
«Any investments Jessica would know about?»
I thought carefully. «David mentioned my portfolio a few times when Jessica was around. He’s always been proud that his schoolteacher mother managed to build a comfortable nest egg.»
Rick made notes on a legal pad. «Have they invited you to any financial seminars? Introduced you to any investment advisors? Suggested any changes to your estate planning?»
«Actually, yes.» The memory came flooding back. «Two months ago, Jessica invited me to something she called a ‘retirement security workshop.’ Said it was specifically for educators and would show me how to maximize my pension benefits.»
«Did you go?»
«No, I had a parent-teacher conference that night. But Jessica seemed disappointed when I canceled.» I paused. «She rescheduled it twice trying to find a time I could attend.»
Rick and I looked at each other across the desk, both understanding the implications. If Jessica was part of a larger financial fraud operation, a retirement security workshop would be the perfect hunting ground for elderly targets with substantial assets.
«Rick, I need to see more of these photos. All of them.»
He hesitated. «Mrs. Thompson, some of these are difficult to look at. If David is truly innocent in all this, these images will destroy him.»
«If David is innocent, then he deserves to know what kind of woman he married before she destroys him financially.» I straightened my shoulders. «Show me everything.»
Rick opened the largest folder yet. «These are the photos I couldn’t include in the official wedding album.»
What I saw over the next 30 minutes painted a picture of a wedding reception that was actually an elaborate business meeting. Jessica and Marcus weren’t just stealing moments for romantic encounters; they were conducting systematic meetings with various guests throughout the evening.
«Who is this man?» I asked, pointing to a photo of Jessica in deep conversation with an elderly gentleman by the bar.
«Herbert Williams, 83 years old. He attended the wedding as Jessica’s ‘honorary grandfather.’ No actual relation. He invested his social security savings with Cole and Miller Financial six weeks after the wedding.»
«And this woman?»
«Patricia Dean, 79, Marcus’s aunt. She transferred her late husband’s pension to their management two weeks after meeting them at your son’s reception.»
I felt sick. «They used David’s wedding as a networking event?»
«It appears so. Mrs. Thompson, I’ve identified at least 12 people at that reception who became clients of Cole and Miller Financial within two months of the wedding. The total assets they’ve managed to access so far exceed $2 million.»
«What about the people who didn’t invest?»
«Some of them are harder to track. But three elderly guests have died in the past six months, all from stress-related conditions, all after making significant investments with Jessica and Marcus.»
The room was spinning. My son’s wedding hadn’t been a celebration. It had been a carefully orchestrated crime scene. And David, my sweet, trusting son, had unknowingly provided the perfect cover for it all.
«Rick, we have to tell David. Tonight.»
«Mrs. Thompson, wait.» Rick grabbed my arm gently as I started to stand. «There’s one more thing you need to know before we involve David.»
«What now?»
«I think Jessica knows I’ve been investigating.»
«What do you mean she knows?» The question came out sharper than I intended, but Rick’s words had sent a chill down my spine.
«Three days ago, someone broke into my studio. Nothing was stolen, but my computer files were accessed. Specifically, the folder containing the wedding photos and my research into Cole and Miller Financial.»
I sank back into my chair. «Are you sure it was Jessica?»
«The break-in happened the same night Jessica had dinner with David at Romano’s, the restaurant directly across from my studio. The security footage shows someone entering my building at 9:47 p.m. Jessica and David’s dinner receipt is time-stamped 9:52 p.m.»
«So she could have slipped out during dinner?»
«The restaurant’s bathroom is on the second floor, right next to a fire exit that leads to the alley behind my building. She could have excused herself, broken in, accessed my files, and been back at the table in 15 minutes.»
My teacher instincts were screaming. This was the behavior of someone who’d been cheating on tests her whole life. Always one step ahead. Always with an alibi.
«What did she find on your computer?»
«Everything we’ve discussed tonight. The photos, the financial records, my mother’s case, the list of elderly victims.» Rick ran his hand through his hair. «Mrs. Thompson, if Jessica knows we’re onto her, she might accelerate whatever timeline she has for David and you.»
«Meaning?»
«Meaning she might try to access your assets immediately, before we can expose her.»
I thought about the phone call I’d received just this morning. Jessica asking if I’d reconsidered her offer to review my investment portfolio. Her voice had been unusually urgent, almost desperate.
«She called me today,» I told Rick. «Said she had some time-sensitive investment opportunities that would be perfect for someone in my situation.»
Rick’s expression darkened. «What kind of opportunities?»
«Something about municipal bonds with guaranteed returns. She wanted to set up a meeting for tomorrow afternoon.»
«Mrs. Thompson, legitimate municipal bonds don’t have guaranteed returns above market rate. She’s trying to set you up.»
«But why now? If she’s been planning this for a year, why the sudden urgency?»
Rick pulled out his phone and showed me a news article dated three days ago. «Because this story broke in the Dallas Business Journal: ‘Local investment firm under investigation for elder fraud.’ They don’t name Cole and Miller specifically, but word is getting out that the FBI is building cases against financial advisors targeting seniors.»
I read the article twice, my heart racing. «So, Jessica is trying to cash out before the investigation reaches her.»
«Exactly. Mrs. Thompson, I think tomorrow’s meeting is her endgame. She’s going to try to get you to transfer everything.»
I stood up, pacing to the window that overlooked the parking lot. The same parking lot where Jessica had conducted her secret business during what should have been the happiest night of my son’s life.
«Rick, we have to stop her. But if we go to David with this now, without absolute proof, she’ll just deny everything and disappear. We’ll never be able to help the other victims.»
«What are you suggesting?» I turned back to face him, feeling that familiar determination that had carried me through 15 years of single motherhood and 25 years of dealing with teenage drama.
«I’m suggesting we give Jessica exactly what she wants. Tomorrow’s meeting, but with a few modifications she’s not expecting.»
«Mrs. Thompson, that’s extremely dangerous. If Jessica is as desperate as we think she is…»
«Rick, I’ve spent my entire career dealing with manipulative teenagers who think they’re smarter than the adults around them. Trust me, I know how to handle someone like Jessica. What did you have in mind?»
I smiled, feeling more clear-headed than I had all evening. «We’re going to let Jessica think she’s won, and then we’re going to destroy her.»
The next morning, I woke up with the kind of clarity that comes from finally understanding the true nature of a problem. I’d spent the night researching everything I could find about investment fraud, elder abuse, and the legal requirements for recording conversations in Texas. By 6 a.m., I had a plan.
Rick had connected me with Detective Sarah Martinez the night before, and she’d agreed to meet us at 7 a.m. at a coffee shop near the police station.
Sarah turned out to be a sharp-eyed woman in her 40s, with the kind of no-nonsense demeanor I recognized from years of dealing with school administrators.
«Mrs. Thompson,» she said, settling into our corner booth with a large black coffee. «Rick has filled me in on the situation. I have to say, what you’re proposing is risky.»
«More risky than letting Jessica steal from more elderly people?» I countered.
«Fair point. But if this goes wrong, you could be putting yourself in physical danger. We don’t know how desperate Jessica and her partners are.»
I pulled out my phone and showed Sarah the text I’d received at 6:30 a.m. «Margaret, so excited about our meeting today. I found an investment opportunity that could double your retirement savings in six months. Can we move our meeting to 2 p.m. instead? I have the paperwork ready. —Jessica»
«Six months to double my money,» I said dryly. «That doesn’t sound suspicious at all.»
Detective Martinez laughed despite herself. «Okay, I can see why you want to nail her, but we need to do this legally and safely.»
Over the next hour, we worked out the details. I would meet Jessica as planned, but Detective Martinez would be listening from the next room with a recording device. Rick would be positioned outside with backup officers. Most importantly, I would not sign anything or transfer any actual money.
