Stevens hesitated.
“Jessica has a criminal record from before she met David. Identity theft. Fraud. Several other charges. She served eighteen months in prison in Oregon before moving to Colorado and reinventing herself.”
The room felt like it was spinning.
“David doesn’t know about this.”
“No one knows. Jessica changed her last name, moved states, and created an entirely new identity when she met David. Marcus discovered her new life and has been exploiting her ever since.”
I sat back in my chair, my mind racing.
If this was true, it meant Jessica wasn’t just a desperate new mother who had made bad decisions. She was a career criminal with an extensive history of fraud who had lied about her entire identity to marry my son.
“Mr. Stevens, why are you telling me this?”
“Because Jessica is terrified that if this goes to trial, Marcus will surface as a witness and reveal everything. She’s more afraid of David discovering her past than she is of going to prison.”
“And you think this information should make me more sympathetic to her?”
“I think it explains why she made the choices she did. Jessica isn’t the master criminal the prosecutor is portraying. She’s a victim herself.”
I stood up and gathered my purse.
“Mr. Stevens, let me see if I understand this correctly. Your client is a convicted felon who lied about her identity, married my son under false pretenses, and committed crimes against his family while being blackmailed by her criminal ex-husband. And you think this makes her more sympathetic?”
“Mrs. Martinez—”
“The only thing this information tells me is that Jessica is a more sophisticated criminal than I realized and that my son has been living with a complete stranger for five years.”
“Please, just consider—”
“I’m considering calling David immediately to warn him that he’s married to a convicted felon.”
Stevens stood up quickly.
“Mrs. Martinez, that would violate attorney-client privilege. I shared this information in confidence.”
“You shared it hoping I’d feel sorry for your client. Instead, you’ve convinced me she’s even more dangerous than I thought.”
I walked toward the door, then turned back.
“Mr. Stevens, when this goes to trial, make sure the prosecutor knows about Marcus Webb. If Jessica has been sending stolen money to a known criminal, that’s another federal crime.”
“Mrs. Martinez, please—”
“Good day, Mr. Stevens.”
I drove home in a daze.
Jessica wasn’t just my daughter-in-law who had made bad decisions. She was a career criminal who had infiltrated my family under false pretenses.
David had no idea who he had really married.
Nathan had been born to a woman who had been lying about her identity since before she met his father.
My phone was ringing when I walked in the door.
David.
“Mom, Jessica’s attorney said you met with him today.”
“I did.”
“He said you’re still refusing the plea deal.”
“That’s correct.”
“Mom, please. Jessica’s already facing five years in prison. How is that not enough?”
I sat down at my kitchen table and stared at the photo of David’s college graduation, back when I still believed I understood who my family was.
“David, did Jessica ever tell you about her life before she moved to Colorado?”
“Of course. She grew up in Seattle, went to college in Oregon, worked in retail management before we met. Why?”
“Did she ever mention being married before?”
Silence.
Then, “What are you talking about?”
“Did she ever mention a criminal record?”
“Mom, what the hell is going on?”
“David, I think you need to sit down. And you might want to arrange for someone to watch Nathan while we talk.”
As I prepared to destroy my son’s understanding of his wife and the mother of his child, I realized that Jessica’s crimes against me were only the beginning.
The real crime was what she had done to David—building their entire relationship on an elaborate lie that was about to come crashing down.
David’s silence on the phone stretched so long I thought the call had dropped.
“David, are you still there?”
“Criminal record?” His voice was barely a whisper. “Mom, what are you talking about?”
“Jessica served eighteen months in prison in Oregon for identity theft and fraud before she moved to Colorado and met you.”
