Chapter 6 - The Flagged Serial Numbers
The next morning at 8:30 AM, Nancy walked into the downtown branch of First Farmers Bank.
The interior was bright, quiet, and polished. Glass partitions separated private executive offices from the marble lobby.
Nancy sat nervously across from Mrs. Whitaker, the senior bank manager—a professional woman in her fifties with short brown hair, wearing a sharp dark blazer over a silk blouse.
Nancy unzipped her leather Bible cover and laid the stack of vintage savings bonds onto the desk.
Mrs. Whitaker carefully spread the bonds across her desk, adjusting her reading glasses as she inspected the signatures and serial numbers under a desk lamp.
"Mrs. Ellis..." Mrs. Whitaker said softly, her brow furrowing as her fingers tapped rapidly against her computer keyboard. She looked up at Nancy with a serious, deeply concerned expression. "These bonds were flagged three years ago."
Nancy leaned forward, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Flagged? What do you mean flagged?"
"In November 2023, an estate executor named Dale Harper submitted an official affidavit claiming these specific bonds were destroyed in a house fire," Mrs. Whitaker explained, her voice dropping into a stern whisper. "He filed a claim to re-issue the funds directly into a secondary corporate estate account under his name."
Nancy gasped, clutching the edge of the mahogany desk. "He reported them destroyed? But they were sitting in my grandfather's basement!"
Mrs. Whitaker reached for her office desk phone, her eyes fixed directly on Nancy with authoritative resolve.
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"Mrs. Ellis, this isn't just an estate dispute," Mrs. Whitaker said firmly. "This is federal financial fraud. I need to make a phone call to the state investigator before you leave this office."
👉 How did Cousin Dale react when he barged into the bank office fifteen minutes later?
