Michael turned the folder toward Brian.
My son’s face went pale.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
I still had Dennis’s sealed envelope in my hands, but Brian wasn’t looking at it anymore.
His eyes were fixed on the document Michael had placed on the desk.
Vanessa moved closer.
“What is that?” she demanded.
Michael kept one hand on the folder.
“The title history for the vehicle.”
Brian swallowed.
“So?”
“So the information you gave us yesterday was incomplete.”
“I gave you the title.”
“You gave us a certificate bearing your father’s older registration information and documents from his estate.” Michael tapped the page.
“But before Dennis Bennett died, a new title was issued.”
I finally looked down.
My name was printed beneath the vehicle identification number.
Carol Bennett.
Owner.
For a moment, the room seemed to tilt.
I looked at Michael.
“Dennis put the car in my name?”
“Almost a year before his death.”
Brian stepped forward.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Michael said.
“Your father transferred ownership to your mother.
The state record confirms it.”
Vanessa’s expression hardened.
“But Brian inherited his father’s property.”
“Not property Dennis no longer owned.”
The words landed quietly.
That made them worse.
I looked at my son.
“You knew?”
“No.”
His answer came too quickly.
Michael glanced at him.
“Yesterday, when my sales manager asked whether anyone else had an ownership interest in the car, you said no.”
“I thought that was true.”
“You also signed a statement confirming you had authority to sell it.”
Brian’s face flushed.
“I had Dad’s paperwork.”
“You had old paperwork.”
Vanessa cut in.
“This is obviously a family misunderstanding.
Just fix it.”
Michael’s gaze moved to her.
“That is what we’re doing.”
He pulled another sheet from the folder.
“The dealership has frozen the transaction.
The vehicle will not be resold or transported.
And because Mr.
Bennett didn’t have legal authority to sell it, we’ll be seeking return of the purchase funds.”
Vanessa’s head snapped toward Brian.
“What does he mean, return?”
