Chapter 10 - The Hidden Lien
The PDF document loaded slowly on the small mobile screen, the text formatting itself into a formal legal notice addressed directly to Arthur Harrington.
My eyes scanned the dense legalese, skipping past the introductory clauses until they hit the core operative paragraph near the middle of the page.
“Please be advised that pursuant to default terms on promissory note #4489-B executed on behalf of Apex Holdings LLC—with Marcus Harrington acting as secondary guarantor—a primary asset lien has been placed against all physical real property holdings registered under the name Arthur Harrington, including the primary Westchester residential estate and surrounding pasture land.”
I stared at the screen, the words blurring slightly under the harsh white light of the display.
Marcus hadn't just stolen their liquid retirement savings and the trust fund. To secure the massive loans for his failed cryptocurrency and shell-corporation gambling, he had used forged signatures to use the family farm—the very land Arthur and Sarah had lived on for three generations—as collateral.
If the loan defaulted—which it was scheduled to do in less than seventy-two hours—the mortgage lender would instantly foreclose on the property, evicting Arthur and Sarah from their home before the old man even woke up from his coma.
The phone vibrated violently in my hand, startling me out of my shock.
An incoming call flashed across the screen. The caller ID displayed an unknown local number with an Albany area code.
I swiped to answer, pressing the phone tightly against my ear.
“Hello?” I said, my voice cutting sharply through the quiet room.
May you like
A smooth, artificial corporate voice responded instantly.
“Good evening, is this a representative for Mr. Arthur Harrington? My name is Attorney Vance—no relation to the medical doctor—representing Apex Holdings financial division. We are calling to formally verify your intent regarding the impending foreclosure notice served on the Westchester estate property scheduled for this coming Monday morning…”
