Actually, Tal, Texas IS a community property state. So unless he had the house somehow classified as separate property (and I am not sure how he can do that), half the house is mine...

As to the PI, I did hire one in May, but after thousands of dollars spent, he could not find anything that I had not already ferreted out by myself. So I am rather reluctant to do it now... until we are talking settlement agreement, at least. And I did promise not to go to the lawyer.

Anyway, Opt is not such a bad amateur PI: I've been doing a bit of thinking and investigating by myself. And here are the conclusions:

1. I remember OW had mentioned to me that the option to buy in the house would be up in August.

2. The deed transfer date was 10/7 (the first Tu of Oct), which means that the actual purchase of the house would have been about a month to 6 weeks earlier. We sold our old house in late Jan and did not close until 3/20... That puts the purchase around late Aug and early Sept (he was out of town from Aug 8 to 17, and I am sure of where he was).

3. He moved back home 8/17

4. In Sept 24, my first week in Piecing, I posted this:

Quote:

Please, help me not to do something rash! [Re: shinybear]
#575671 - 09/24/03 08:50 AM

Hi, guys

There have been developments and I am writing here instead of screaming my suspicions in the phone. Need some input ASAP!

Everything went great last night (and this morning ). But a few minutes ago I went to pick up our mail to the P.O. Box. My H has had his mail forwarded there from OW's house (and ours also) and amongs all the usual junk there was a letter from a Land & Title company, addressed to my H at OW's house. It had no explanation and only a cheque for $20 from the title company payable to him. The memo said interest credit EL03-159356 Jacob (not OW's name)/H's name.
I jumped to conclusions immediately and went to the net. I searched title records for both nearer counties and could not find any files under his name or the other that looked suspicious.

Should I confront him? I am not going to believe anything he says anyway (unless it is what I fear). What do I do?

Well, well, guess what? The house's previous owner's name WAS Jacob! So that it one mistery solved... And the letter had been forwarded twice, so it was probably sent at least 1 week earlier...

I asked H about the check on Sept 30 and he said it was a left over from the attempt to re-finance his office building...

This rather dates the purchase, don't you think?

"You don't throw a whole life away just 'cause it's banged up a little" Tom Smith in "Seabiscuit"