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her father…
    â€œHello?”
    â€œLindsey? This is Kyle.”
    â€œKyle?” Her heart skipped a beat. “Hey. You should be sound asleep by now.”
    â€œI know I shouldn’t have called so late, but I was worried. I didn’t wake you, did I?” he asked.
    â€œNo. It’s fine. I’m glad you called.” Sammy brushed up against her legs impatiently. “I’m at my father’s house.”
    She pressed the phone against her shoulder as she crossed the kitchen and bent down to pick up Sammy’s bowl.
    â€œIs your father all right?”
    â€œI think he’ll be fine.” She put the bowl on the counter, opened a can of cat food and spooned the pâté-like substance into the silver bowl. “They’re still running some tests, but we should know more tomorrow. At least he’s stabilized.”
    â€œI’m glad to hear that.”
    â€œMe, too. The only thing is…” She hesitated as she put Sammy’s bowl on the floor. “You deal with identity theft in your company, don’t you?”
    â€œSure. I’d say a good ten to fifteen percent of our clients are dealing with compromised finances.” There was a pause on the line. “Why do you ask?”
    â€œI think someone stole my father’s identity. It’s the only explanation I can come up with for what I’ve found,” she said, feeling a wave of guilt for sharing her father’s secrets.
    In any other circumstances, she’d be thrilled to talk to Kyle, but at the moment, she had the strong urge to hang up. Saying it out loud made it all too real.
    â€œTell me exactly what you found,” he said calmly.
    Lindsey drew in a steadying breath. “My father was worried about his cat, so I promised I’d drop by the house. On my way in, I checked the mail and found letters from a collection agency.”
    â€œAnything else?”
    â€œI found more notices in his desk. At least two dozen letters from several agencies.” She picked up the dishrag and began wiping the already spotless countertop. “And there’s more.”
    â€œTell me,” he said.
    â€œMy mother has a collection of limited-edition porcelain figurines worth quite a bit of money. She’s been collecting them for years.” She glanced at the empty cabinet across the room. “They’re all missing.”
    â€œCould your father have sold them to pay down his debt?”
    â€œIt’s possible, but it doesn’t fit.” She dropped the rag into the sink, then slid onto one of the bar stools at the end of the counter. “My father’s a miser when it comes to money. He’s never late on credit-card payments. In fact, he refuses to use credit in most cases. I can’t even see him having debt, never mind selling the curios to pay it off.”
    â€œYou mentioned how he’d been depressed lately. Could it be he’s overspending online, or maybe gambling?”
    â€œGambling? I don’t know.” She squeezed her eyes shut. This couldn’t be happening.
    â€œLindsey, I know it’s a sensitive topic, but it does happen. Spending money online becomes addictive. And it’s a way to bury the pain of loss.”
    Lindsey couldn’t even respond. Was her father spending his retirement money online to cope with his grief? How could she have missed this?
    â€œI’m sorry,” Kyle said. “I know it’s none of my business.”
    â€œNo, it’s okay.” She rubbed her thumb against her temples and took another breath. “I’m scared, Kyle. There was even mention of a lawsuit in one of the letters.”
    â€œI know it’s frightening. Especially if it is identity fraud. I can’t do much tonight, but with a few more details and your father’s permission—”
    â€œI’m not sure he’ll give you that,” she said, looking at the stack of letters on the