Chapter 6 - The First Lie
Daniel claimed the lake house belonged to the entire Cole family.
Rebecca asked him to define what that meant legally.
He could not.
“Dad bought it,” Daniel said.
“Edward purchased the first parcel,” Rebecca replied. “Margaret purchased the adjoining shoreline twelve years later.”
Daniel looked at his mother.
“You never told me that.”
“You never asked who paid.”
For years, Daniel described Margaret as a homemaker who benefited from Edward’s success.
He ignored the bookkeeping company she ran from their kitchen for twenty-six years.
Margaret’s income purchased the additional acreage.
It also paid off the lake-house mortgage.
Daniel knew none of that because he never considered his mother’s work important enough to remember.
Rebecca asked whether Daniel had submitted any loan applications connected to the property.
He denied it.
Margaret watched his eyes shift toward Denise.
That small glance answered more than his words.
Rebecca already possessed a copy of the rejected application Edward had discovered.
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Daniel’s signature appeared beneath a statement claiming he held future ownership rights.
His first lie had been recorded before they even entered the house.
