My Daugther woke me before sunrise and said, “Make some coffee and set the table”
Sophia was staring at her husband with growing horror. «Derek, what the hell is going on?»
«Sophia, your mother has been listening to lies from people who don’t understand legitimate business practices.»
«Legitimate business practices,» I repeated. «Is that what you call convincing elderly homeowners to sell their properties below market value to your investment company? Then failing to provide the promised monthly payments?»
«Those are complicated financial instruments. Sometimes market conditions—»
«Sometimes con artists get caught,» I interrupted, «and sometimes their new wives discover that they’ve married a fraud.»
Derek’s mask of charm was completely gone now, replaced by the cold calculation I’d suspected was underneath all along.
«You have no idea what you’re talking about,» he said, «and you have no proof of anything inappropriate.»
«Actually, I have quite a bit of proof. Harold Manning, my financial advisor, is also a forensic accountant. He’s been very interested in reviewing the financial records for Castellano Holdings LLC.»
Derek went completely still. «You don’t have access to those records.»
«No, but the state of California does, especially when multiple complaints have been filed about fraudulent business practices.» I walked to my kitchen counter and picked up a manila folder I’d placed there that morning. «Would you like to see the complaint I filed yesterday with the State Attorney General’s office?»
«You did what?»
«Filed a detailed complaint about a pattern of elder fraud targeting homeowners along the coast. I included Eleanor Patterson’s documentation, Jennifer’s testimony about your business practices, and a fascinating analysis of how your investment schemes actually work.»
Sophia sank into her chair. «Mom, are you saying Derek is some kind of criminal?»
«I’m saying Derek is a con artist who specializes in targeting women he thinks are vulnerable and isolated.» I opened the folder and pulled out several documents. «Women like his ex-wife, who trusted him with her business. Women like Eleanor Patterson, who thought she was making a smart financial decision. Women like me, who he assumed would be grateful for male guidance and financial protection.»
Derek was edging toward the kitchen door, but I wasn’t finished.
«The beautiful part of your plan, Derek, was how you used my own daughter to get close to me. Marry the woman with access to the target. Convince her that she’s helping her mother and exploit the family relationship to bypass normal suspicion.»
«Sophia, we need to leave. Now.»
But Sophia was staring at him with dawning realization. «The quick wedding? You wanted to get married before meeting my mother? You said it was romantic, but you were establishing legal cover.»
«Sophia, don’t listen to her. She’s a paranoid old woman who’s been—»
«I’m fifty-two, Derek. Not old, not paranoid, and definitely not helpless.» I stood up, holding the folder. «I’m also not someone who can be intimidated by a failed real estate developer with a pattern of defrauding women.»
Derek made a break for the door, but I wasn’t trying to stop him. I wanted him to run.
«The California State Police will be very interested in your travel patterns!» I called after him. «Especially since you’re now officially under investigation for elder fraud.»
He turned back for a moment, his handsome face twisted with rage. «You have no idea who you’re dealing with.»
«Actually, Derek, I know exactly who I’m dealing with. The question is whether you know who you tried to con.»
As Derek rushed upstairs to pack, Sophia remained sitting at my kitchen table, staring at the documents I’d spread in front of her.
«Mom,» she said quietly. «Did I really bring a criminal into your house?»
«You brought someone who saw you as a tool to get access to me and my property. The criminal part was just his method.»
«I thought he loved me.»
«He might have, but he loved the idea of my real estate more.»
«What happens now?»
I looked at my daughter, this woman who’d spent the past week treating me like hired help while her husband planned to steal my home.
«Now you decide whether you’re going to be part of the solution or part of the problem.»
Upstairs, we could hear Derek slamming drawers and shouting into his phone. He was probably calling a lawyer or maybe warning other potential victims, but it was too late for Derek. The trap had been set, and he’d walked into it completely. The only question now was what Sophia was going to do when she realized her week-old marriage was about to become evidence in a fraud investigation.
Derek was gone within twenty minutes, speeding away in their rental car like the house was on fire—which, from his perspective, it probably was. What he left behind was my daughter, sitting at my kitchen table staring at the evidence of her husband’s criminal activities and about fifteen missed calls on his phone that he’d abandoned in his panic to escape.
«Mom?» Sophia said finally, her voice small and defeated. «How long have you known?»
«I suspected something was wrong the moment you both showed up here, talking about my living situation, but I didn’t have proof until yesterday.» I sat down across from her, noting how young she looked without Derek’s confidence propping her up. «The question is, how much did you know?»
«Nothing,» she said quickly. «I swear, Mom, I thought he was legitimate. He showed me financial documents, client testimonials. Everything looked professional.»
«Did it occur to you to wonder why a successful investment consultant would be so interested in marrying someone he’d known for six months?»
Sophia’s face crumpled. «I thought he loved me. He was so charming, so attentive. He made me feel special.»
«You are special, sweetheart. But Derek wasn’t interested in special. He was interested in access.»
Derek’s abandoned phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen and saw a name that made my blood run cold: Eleanor Patterson.
«Sophia, I need to answer this call.»
«Mrs. Castellano?» The elderly woman’s voice was shaky and frightened. «I’ve been trying to reach Derek all morning. The bank called again about the foreclosure proceedings, and I don’t understand what’s happening.»
«Mrs. Patterson, this is Patricia Whitmore, Derek’s mother-in-law. I’m afraid Derek isn’t available right now.»
«Oh, well, maybe you can help me. I gave Derek all my legal documents when he bought my house, but now the bank is saying I still owe money on a mortgage that was supposed to be paid off. Derek promised me monthly payments, but they stopped coming three months ago.»
I felt sick listening to her confusion and fear. This woman had trusted Derek with her home and her financial security, and he’d left her facing homelessness.
«Mrs. Patterson, I’m going to give you some phone numbers. There are people who can help you, but you need to contact them today.»
After I finished giving Eleanor the contact information for the State Attorney General’s Elder Fraud Division and a non-profit legal aid organization, I hung up and looked at my daughter.
«That’s what your husband does, Sophia. He preys on older women who trust him.»
«But I’m not older, and I don’t have any assets he could steal.»
«No, but you have something even more valuable. You have me.»
Sophia was quiet for a long time, processing the reality of her situation. She was legally married to a man who was about to be charged with multiple counts of fraud. Even if she hadn’t participated in his schemes, her association with him would complicate her life for years.
«What do I do now?» she asked.
«You make a choice. You can contact Derek, warn him about the investigation, and try to help him avoid prosecution. Or you can cooperate with the authorities and try to minimize the damage to your own life.»
«You make it sound simple.»
«It is simple. Not easy, but simple.» I reached across the table and took her hand. «Derek is a criminal, Sophia. The only question is whether you’re going to be his accomplice or his victim.»
That afternoon, Detective Sarah Chen from the California State Police Financial Crimes Division arrived at my house with a briefcase full of documentation and a very interested expression.
«Mrs. Whitmore, the complaint you filed has opened up a much larger investigation than we initially expected,» she said, settling into my living room with the authority of someone used to dealing with financial predators.
«How much larger?»
«Derek Castellano appears to have been operating this scheme in multiple states over the past five years. We’ve identified at least twelve victims, mostly women over sixty who owned valuable real estate.»
«Twelve women,» I repeated, thinking about Eleanor Patterson’s frightened voice on the phone.
«Possibly more. The pattern is always the same. He identifies vulnerable targets, usually through personal connections or dating relationships, gains their trust, convinces them to sign over property management to his company, and then systematically drains their assets.»
Sophia, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, finally spoke up. «Detective, what’s going to happen to me? I married him, but I didn’t know about any of this.»
Detective Chen studied her carefully. «That depends on several factors: how much you knew, when you knew it, and whether you’re willing to cooperate with our investigation.»
«I’ll cooperate,» Sophia said immediately. «I’ll tell you everything I know.»
«Good. We’ll need detailed statements about your relationship with Mr. Castellano, his business activities, his associates, and any conversations you had about his work.»
For the next three hours, Detective Chen interviewed both of us. Sophia provided information about Derek’s business contacts, his travel patterns, and his methods for researching potential targets. I shared everything I discovered about his previous victims and his attempts to manipulate me.
«Mrs. Whitmore,» Detective Chen said as she prepared to leave, «you may have prevented him from adding several more victims to his list. Most people don’t think to investigate someone their family member brings home.»
«Most people don’t have daughters who show up demanding breakfast service at 5 a.m.,» I replied.
After the detective left, Sophia and I sat on my deck watching the sunset, both of us emotionally exhausted from the day’s revelations.
«Mom, I owe you an enormous apology,» she said finally. «For bringing him here, for the way we treated you, for everything.»
«You owe me more than an apology, Sophia. You owe me an explanation of how you could watch your husband treat me like hired help and think that was acceptable.»
«I know. I was so caught up in feeling important, in being married to someone successful, that I lost sight of what was right.»
«You’ve always had a tendency to get caught up in appearances,» I said. «But this time, your poor judgment brought a predator into my home.»
«How do I make this right?»
I looked at my daughter, this woman who’d spent her entire adult life making impulsive decisions and expecting other people to clean up the consequences.
«You start by taking responsibility for your choices and their impact on other people.»
«And then?»
«And then you figure out who you want to be when you’re not trying to impress someone who was using you.»
That evening, Derek finally called. Not my number, but Sophia’s. She looked at me before answering, and I nodded.
«Put it on speaker,» I said.
«Sophia, thank God.» Derek’s voice was tight with panic. «Are you okay? Where are you?»
«I’m still at my mother’s house, Derek. Where are you?»
«I’m in Nevada. Listen, baby, your mother has been telling lies about me to the police. She’s trying to cause problems for us.»
«What kind of problems, Derek?»
«She filed some kind of false complaint claiming I defrauded people. It’s completely fabricated. But I need to stay away until my lawyer can sort it out.»
«Derek?» Sophia said carefully. «I talked to Eleanor Patterson today.»
Silence.
«Derek? She told me about her house, about the missing payments. She told me about the foreclosure.»
«Sophia, that’s a complicated business situation. There were market conditions that…»
«Derek,» I said, leaning toward the phone. «This is Patricia. I think you should know that your wife has decided to cooperate with the police investigation.»
«Sophia, don’t listen to her. She’s a vindictive old woman who’s trying to destroy our marriage.»
«Our marriage destroyed itself when you used it to commit fraud,» Sophia replied, and I felt a surge of pride at the strength in her voice.
«Sophia, please, I love you. We can work through this.»
«No, Derek, we can’t. I’m filing for divorce.»
She hung up and turned off her phone.
«That felt good,» she said, surprising both of us.
«Good. It should.»
As we prepared for bed that night, Sophia helped me secure all the doors and windows. Derek was desperate now, and desperate people make unpredictable choices. But I wasn’t worried. Derek had spent a week thinking he was manipulating a helpless middle-aged woman. He had no idea that this helpless middle-aged woman had been three steps ahead of him from the beginning. Tomorrow, he’d discover just how far ahead I’d been.
Derek’s second mistake was underestimating how thoroughly I documented every aspect of his stay at my house. His first mistake was trying to con me in the first place, but he wouldn’t fully understand that until much later.
The next morning, while Sophia slept in, I was on a conference call with Detective Chen, Harold Manning—my forensic accountant—and Jennifer Walsh, Derek’s ex-wife, who had flown in from San Diego specifically to testify against him.
«Patricia, the evidence you’ve gathered is extraordinary,» Jennifer said through the speaker. «I wish I’d had someone like you watching out for me when Derek was destroying my business.»
«What exactly did he do to your catering company?» I asked, though I already suspected the answer.
«The same thing he tried to do to you. He convinced me to use the business as collateral for what he called a ‘sure-thing’ real estate investment. When the investment failed—because it was designed to fail—I lost everything.»
Harold Manning, who had been reviewing financial documents while we talked, cleared his throat. «Mrs. Walsh, the pattern we’re seeing suggests that Derek’s investment failures weren’t accidental. He was systematically moving assets from his victims’ accounts into offshore holdings that he controlled.»
«You mean he was stealing money on purpose?»
«I mean he was running a sophisticated embezzlement operation disguised as legitimate investment services.»
Detective Chen’s voice was grim. «We’ve traced similar patterns with all twelve of his known victims. The good news is that we now have enough evidence to issue federal charges. The bad news is that most of the stolen money has been moved beyond our immediate reach.»
«What about Derek’s current location?» I asked.
«We have people watching the Nevada border, and his credit cards are being monitored. He can’t stay hidden indefinitely.»
