Chapter 9 - Served in the Open
“Brenda Hayes?” Deputy Miller asked, stepping forward with a clipboard while his partner stood nearby.
Brenda paled, clutching her designer purse—which had been bought with money stolen from our shared account—against her chest. “Yes? What is this about? Is this some kind of joke?”
“You are being formally served with a civil summons for Fraud, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Larceny, and Contract Conversion in the County Court of Douglas County,” Deputy Miller stated calmly, handing her a thick stack of legal papers.
“This is absurd!” Brenda shrieked, her voice echoing across the parking lot. “Marcus is harassing me! He’s using his money to bully a single mother!”
“You also need to step over to the precinct station tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM for a formal interview regarding an open criminal investigation for Identity Theft and Financial Forgery,” the deputy added, his face completely unreadable. “Have a good evening, ma’am.”
Brenda stood alone under the bright parking lot lights, clutching the legal papers as cars drove past her.
Over the next forty-eight hours, her carefully constructed world collapsed entirely.
The owner of the boutique marketing firm where she worked as an assistant called her into his office on Thursday morning. The public outrage online had reached the company’s official business page, with local customers demanding to know why the firm employed someone caught on video engaging in contract forgery and public fraud.
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She was terminated from her employment effective immediately.
That afternoon, Jungle & Crown Events filed its own civil cross-claim against Brenda to recover $3,200 in damages for breach of contract, public defamation, and fraudulent representation, formally banning her and her mother from stepping foot on their property ever again.
