Sarah had arrived early to prepare for the morning rush and immediately sensed the change in my mood. “You look different today,” she said, sliding a warm blueberry muffin across the counter to me. “Less defeated, more determined.”
“I found out Derek is a professional con artist who’s done this to other families before.
My ex- fiance is bringing a private investigator to help me expose him.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. “Marcus is coming here. The Marcus who broke your heart.”
“He didn’t break my heart.
Distance and bad timing broke my heart. But that’s not important right now. What matters is stopping Derek before he destroys everything.”
At exactly 6:00, Marcus knocked on the bakery’s back door.
Seeing him again after eight months hit me harder than I’d expected. He looked older, more serious, but his eyes still crinkled the same way when he smiled. Behind him stood a compact man in his 50s with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor.
“Barl, this is Tom Rodriguez,” Marcus said as they entered the back office. “Tom, this is Barl Hartwell.”
Tom shook my hand firmly. “Miss Hartwell, I’ve been investigating Derek Walsh for 6 weeks now, and I can tell you definitively that your family is in serious danger.”
He opened a laptop and pulled up a detailed file that made my stomach clench.
“Derek Walsh, also known as Derek Williams and Derek Watson, has been running sophisticated family fraud schemes across four states for the past seven years. He targets successful family businesses, usually through romantic relationships, and has stolen over $8 million total.”
The photos on Tom’s screen showed Derek with different women in different states, but always the same pattern. He targeted Sarah Montgomery in Arizona, whose family owned three successful restaurants.
He targeted Linda Chen in Nevada, whose family had a land development company. He targeted Patricia Williams in California, whose family ran a chain of auto repair shops. “What happened to them?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“Sarah Montgomery’s family lost everything, and she committed suicide 6 months after Derek disappeared with their money. Linda Chen’s family is still fighting criminal charges Dererick fabricated to cover his theft. Patricia Williams spent two years in prison for embezzlement she didn’t commit before investigators finally proved Dererick had framed her.”
The weight of Dererick’s destructive pattern was staggering.
“How does he get away with it?”
Tom clicked to another screen showing bank records and corporate filings. “He’s extremely sophisticated. Derek creates multiple shell companies, establishes false identities, and uses psychological manipulation to turn family members against each other.
By the time anyone realizes what’s happening, he’s already moved the assets offshore and disappeared.”
Marcus leaned forward. “Tom, show her what we discovered about Dererick’s current operation.”
“Derek has already stolen $375,000 from Hartwell and Son’s, not $300,000 like you thought. The additional 75,000 was taken through a series of small transfers disguised as tax payments and insurance premiums.”
I felt sick.
“How much more is he planning to steal?”
“Everything. Our analysis of the business record suggests Derek could access up to $800,000 in business assets, plus whatever personal assets your parents have that he can convince them to leverage for business expansion.”
Tom showed me financial documents I’d never seen before. “Derek has been preparing your father to sign loan applications secured by the family home, the business property, and your parents’ retirement accounts.
He’s convinced your father that these loans are necessary to stabilize the business after your supposed embezzlement.”
“But dad would never risk the house and mom’s retirement money.”
“He would if he believed his daughter was a thief and Derek was the only person who could save the family from financial ruin,” Tom said grimly. “Dererick has been systematically undermining your credibility while positioning himself as the family’s savior. It’s psychological warfare, and Derek is very good at it.”
Marcus pulled out his phone.
“Tom, show her the recording from Dererick’s recruitment call.”
Tom connected his phone to a small speaker and played an audio file. Dererick’s voice was clear and confident. “The beauty of this particular target is how attached they are to their business legacy.
The daughter has been working herself to death, trying to save the company, which makes it easy to paint her as unstable and desperate. Once we eliminate her credibility, the old man will sign anything we put in front of him.”
Another voice responded, “What about the sister?”
“Amanda’s perfect. She’s jealous of Barl’s relationship with the parents and hungry for attention.
I just had to convince her that Barl was stealing her inheritance and she became my biggest ally. She’ll help me get the father to sign the loan applications without even realizing she’s participating in fraud.”
Hearing Dererick’s casual discussion of destroying my family made me feel like I might throw up, but it also filled me with cold determination. “How do we stop him?”
“We need to catch him in the act of stealing money or get him to confess to his plans on record,” Tom said.
“The problem is that Dererick’s smart enough to never put his real intentions in writing, and he’s careful about what he says in front of witnesses.”
Marcus stood up and started pacing. “Tom, what about using me as bait? Derek still thinks I’m a potential investor in his schemes.”
“That could work.
If Dererick believes he’s recruiting another victim, he might reveal enough details to incriminate himself.”
I had an idea that scared and excited me. “What if I pretend to have a breakdown? Derrick’s been telling everyone I’m mentally unstable.
What if I show up at my parents house acting confused and desperate, begging them to forgive me for my theft and asking Derek to help me get better?”
Tom considered this. “That’s risky. If Dererick realizes you’re acting, he could become dangerous.”
“But if he believes I’ve given up fighting him, he might let his guard down enough to reveal his real plans.”
Marcus looked worried.
“Barl, I don’t like the idea of you pretending to be vulnerable around someone we know is dangerous.”
“I’ll be wearing recording devices and you’ll be monitoring everything. Besides, Dererick thinks he’s already won. He won’t expect me to be investigating him.”
Tom nodded slowly.
“It could work. Dererick’s arrogant and he loves feeling superior to his victims. If he thinks Barl has accepted his version of reality, he might brag about his plans.”
We spent the next hour planning the operation.
Tom would provide hidden recording equipment and coordinate with federal agents who had been tracking Derrick’s fraud ring. Marcus would maintain his cover as a potential investor and try to get Derek to reveal financial details. I would play the role of a defeated daughter begging for forgiveness and help.
Sarah, who had been listening from the kitchen, knocked on the door. “I hate to interrupt, but you should know that Derek’s car just pulled up outside the hardware store. He’s on his phone again.”
Tom immediately pulled out binoculars and watched Derek through the window.
After 5 minutes, Derek drove away and Tom’s expression was grim. “He was on the phone with someone discussing timeline acceleration. I heard him say 72 hours in emergency liquidation.”
My blood went cold.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Derek knows something’s wrong and he’s moving up his timeline to steal the money and disappear. We don’t have weeks or days to build a case. We have hours.”
Marcus grabbed my hand.
“Barl, this is too dangerous now. If Dererick’s panicking, he could become unpredictable.”
“All the more reason to stop him immediately. Tom, what’s our fastest option?”
“We go with your plan today.
You convince your family you’re having a breakdown and need Derek’s help. Meanwhile, Marcus arranges an emergency meeting with Derek about a time-sensitive investment opportunity. If we’re lucky, Dererick will reveal enough to arrest him before he can steal more money or hurt anyone.”
I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to walk into the most dangerous situation of my life.
“Let’s do it. But if something goes wrong, promise me you’ll protect my family, even if you can’t protect me.”
“Nothing’s going wrong,” Marcus said firmly. “We’re going to stop Derek, save your family’s business, and expose him for what he really is.”
Tom started setting up the recording equipment.
“Miss Hartwell, you’re about to become an undercover operative in a federal fraud investigation. Are you ready for that?”
