Chapter 8 - Check Your Mother.
Lena called her mother before anyone could stop her.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
On the fourth ring, her mother answered with an irritated hello.
Lena nearly cried from relief.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"I'm making coffee."
"Is anyone there?"
"The cat is here."
"Mom."
Her mother heard the change in her voice.
"What's happened?"
Lena looked at Vincent.
He shook his head slightly, reminding her not to say more than necessary over an uncertain line.
"Lock the doors and don't open them for anyone until I get there."
Her mother became quiet.
"Is this Derek?"
Lena closed her eyes.
"Just lock the doors."
They drove across town with Harris following in an unmarked sedan.
Lena's mother, Carol, lived in the same narrow blue house where Lena and Vincent had grown up.
Vincent had not been inside for three years.
The porch light was still on when they arrived.
Carol opened the door only after Lena called from the walkway.
"You look exhausted," she said.
Then she saw the sling.
"What happened to your arm?"
"Later."
Vincent stepped inside last.
Carol looked at him for a long moment.
"You came."
"She called."
That was all either of them said.
Harris checked the house and found no sign of forced entry.
Then Carol mentioned something that changed the room.
"A courier came yesterday."
Lena turned.
"What courier?"
"He said he had certified documents for you."
"Did you sign?"
"No."
Carol pointed toward the kitchen.
"I told him you don't live here, and he left an envelope anyway."
The envelope sat unopened beside a bowl of oranges.
Harris photographed it before Lena touched it.
Inside was a copy of a petition filed in county court.
The heading made Lena read it twice.
PETITION FOR TEMPORARY FINANCIAL CONSERVATORSHIP.
Derek was listed as the petitioner.
Lena was listed as the respondent.
Attached were statements claiming she had recently become impulsive, confused, and vulnerable to outside influence.
Vincent's name appeared in three paragraphs.
He was described as an estranged relative with a history of intimidation.
Carol covered her mouth.
"He told me you were having trouble."
Lena stared at her.
"When?"
"Two months ago."
"And you believed him?"
Carol's eyes filled with shame.
"I believed he was worried about you."
The admission cut deeper than Lena expected.
Derek had not isolated her only by blocking calls and changing accounts.
He had been editing her reputation in private conversations she never knew were happening.
Harris turned to the filing date.
"This was submitted yesterday morning."
Naomi leaned over his shoulder.
"Before Lena left the apartment."
Vincent's voice went cold.
"He expected her to leave."
Harris nodded.
"Or he wanted to be ready if she did."
Carol sat down heavily.
"Can he actually do this?"
"A petition is not an order," Harris said.
"A judge still needs evidence."
Lena looked at the pages.
Derek had attached evidence.
Medical summaries.
Bank records.
Witness statements.
One statement was signed by Eric Sloan.
Another was signed by someone named Dr. Martin Hale.
Lena had never met him.
She turned to the final page.
The hearing date was scheduled for the next morning.
Vincent read it over her shoulder.
"That's fast."
Harris frowned.
"Too fast."
Lena's phone buzzed again.
This time it was a text from Derek's actual number.
May you like
Only one sentence appeared.
You always needed someone to make decisions for you.
