Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Sure thing.”
We drove in quiet, and we were almost to the house when my dad started calling me. I silenced my phone since I was only a few minutes away and would prefer to talk everything through with him in person. He called again just as we pulled into the drive. There was also a text.
Dad: We need to talk. Come to the house asap. Make sure you’re alone.
Huh. Seemed ominous. Wouldn’t it be funny if Dad had figured out Margie was the catfish right at the same time I had?
“Jace, where are you?” he asked when I answered.
“I’m just outside. What’s the big rush? I was looking for you earlier, but the house was empty.”
“Listen, it’s been a busy morning. A lot’s come to light, and we need to talk. Are you alone?”
“Yes, but—”
“Good. Come inside.”
I shook my head, vaguely aware of Dixon pulling away, probably off to park down the street and watch for suspicious activity. I opened the front door and stepped inside, finding my parents in the kitchen, alongside my manager, Angelica, and another man I didn’t recognise. He looked mid-forties, with short, dark hair, a bit of a military vibe.
“Okay, good. You’re all here. I have a lot to tell you,” I said and realised that they were all incredibly tense, and it seemed to be down to the presence of the military guy. “Who are you?” I asked, and my dad stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Jace, this is Robert Ansary.”
“Okay.” I looked to Dad again, wondering why he sounded so grave.
“His identity was used in a catfish scam, just like yours was, by the same person who’s been impersonating you.”
Wait, what? “So you know who it is? Who’s been behind all this?”
“He goes by the name of Dixon Levitt now,” Robert Ansary explained. “Though by all accounts that’s another false identity.”
Time froze while my attention went from my dad to Robert and then back to my dad. “What? No. Dixon is—”
“An imposter. Identity thief. Scammer extraordinaire,” Dad finished. “He’d been masquerading as this poor gentleman here for years until he got found out and had to find a new identity.”
This was way too much to comprehend, especially since I’d just been about to announce that Margie was the culprit, and I’d been completely wrong. I had to sit down.
Lowering onto a seat, I let my head drop into my hands and searched my thoughts. Was this real? I’d been sitting in the car next to Dixon only minutes ago. He’d driven me home and listened to me tell him all about Margie when really he was the one behind everything?
Fuck.
Thank goodness I only told Margie’s parents about her lying to Shannon and hadn’t accused her of the catfishing. But I had accused her to Shannon and that was the worst part. Shannon and I had been growing so much closer, and now I’d potentially screwed it all up. Yes, Margie had been lying about her identity, but Dixon was the one terrorising us, all the while pretending to be watching out for us. The idea that I’d left Shannon and Zara under his watch countless times over the last few weeks made me want to be sick.
“After the whole fuck up at the barbecue,” my dad began, “I had to go back to the drawing board. I had background checks run on everyone you come into contact with. That was when I saw that Dixon Levitt wasn’t a real person. So, I ran his picture through a reverse image search and up came dozens of online posts warning about a scammer called Samuel Teeling, who’d been catfishing people using a retired U.S. Army Sergeant’s identity, Robert Ansary.”
I looked at Angelica accusingly, “But you hired him. Surely you ran a background check?”
She had the grace to look apologetic. “Actually, I hired Dixon based on the recommendation of his references, which I’m now guessing were probably fake. It was a really busy time for the band, and I never got around to doing the full background check. Plus, Dixon had already started working for us, and he got along so great with you and the rest of the band. In the end, I just felt like we could trust him. He seemed so genuine.”
“This man knows how to swindle people,” Robert explained. “He had been using my identity for years and I’d been contacted by countless people who’d been conned out of their life savings by him. I understand he’s now started using your identity, and if what happened to me is anything to go by, there are more victims out there.”
More who have been conned and stolen from. Fuck.
Now I really was going to be sick. My stomach heaved. To think I’d just been sitting in the car with Dixon, or whatever the hell his real name was, telling him all about Margie and how I was convinced she was the catfish. He must’ve been having a real good laugh at my expense.