Chapter 3 - Forty-Five Minutes.
Daniel called Rachel immediately.
She did not answer.
He called again while Emma packed a small bag for Noah under the supervision of Janice Webb.
Still nothing.
Then Rachel sent another text.
I CAN'T TALK.
THEY'RE WATCHING ME TOO.
Daniel stared at the message until the words lost meaning.
Rachel had lived three states away for almost two years.
She worked remotely for Hayes Development, the family real estate company their father had built and Daniel now ran.
She spoke to Margaret often and to Daniel rarely.
For months, she had insisted she wanted nothing to do with the family's constant wars.
Now she was telling him there was a war he had not even known had started.
Attorney Maya Cole arrived at the courthouse with twelve minutes to spare.
She was Daniel's former college roommate's wife, a family-law attorney with a reputation for smiling while dismantling bad arguments.
She did not smile when Daniel showed her the forged affidavit.
"This is either incredibly stupid or incredibly organized," Maya said.
"Which one do you want?"
"Organized," Daniel said.
"Stupid people make mistakes faster."
Maya looked at him for a long second.
"Good answer."
Emma sat across from them in a courthouse conference room, Noah asleep with his head in her lap.
Her hands were shaking.
"What can they do today?"
Maya closed the folder.
"Worst case, the judge could order Noah placed temporarily with a relative or foster family while the allegations are investigated."
Emma stopped breathing for a second.
Daniel moved beside her.
Maya continued quickly.
"That is not what I expect, but we need to be ready for Margaret to present more than what we have seen."
"She does not get Noah," Daniel said.
Maya's eyes hardened.
"Then do exactly what I tell you in that courtroom."
He nodded.
"No shouting."
"Understood."
"No staring her down."
"Fine."
"No matter what she says."
Daniel looked at his scratched reflection in the dark conference-room window.
"That part may be harder."
Maya leaned forward.
"Then remember that every angry reaction becomes a sentence in her story."
The hearing began at 1:18 p.m.
Margaret sat beside attorney Charles Voss, a man Daniel recognized from the family's corporate litigation team.
That was the first surprise.
Voss had worked for Hayes Development for nearly fifteen years.
Daniel had signed his annual retainer three months earlier.
"He works for me," Daniel whispered.
Maya did not look away from the judge.
"Not anymore."
Margaret wore a different blouse.
She had changed clothes.
She had also placed a soft medical brace around her wrist.
Daniel almost laughed.
Then Voss submitted photographs.
They showed bruising on Margaret's shoulder and lower back.
"Those are from today?" Maya asked.
Voss nodded.
"My client was assaulted while attempting to protect her grandson."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
Maya touched his knee beneath the table.
Stay still.
The judge reviewed the forged psychiatric affidavit.
Maya challenged it immediately and requested direct verification from Dr. Keene.
Voss surprised them again.
"Dr. Keene is present by video, Your Honor."
A monitor lit up.
Owen Keene appeared on screen.
Emma whispered, "Oh my God."
Keene looked older than Daniel remembered.
He also looked terrified.
The judge asked whether the signature was his.
Keene hesitated.
"Yes."
Emma grabbed Maya's arm.
Maya remained still.
"Doctor, did you evaluate my client three days ago?"
Keene looked down.
"I reviewed information concerning her condition."
"That was not my question."
Voss objected.
The judge overruled him.
Maya repeated it.
Keene swallowed.
"No."
Maya stood.
"Did you speak to her by telephone?"
"No."
"Video?"
"No."
"Text message?"
"No."
"So you signed a psychiatric assessment of a woman you had not evaluated in nearly five years?"
Keene looked directly into the camera.
"I was given records that appeared authentic."
Maya's voice became colder.
"Given by whom?"
Keene looked offscreen.
The feed went black.
The courtroom erupted in whispers.
The judge ordered the clerk to reconnect the call.
It failed.
Voss insisted it was a technical problem.
Maya called it witness interference.
Daniel watched Margaret.
She was not surprised.
Not even slightly.
Then Rachel entered the courtroom.
She slipped into the back row wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, as if she had driven straight from an airport.
Daniel turned.
Rachel put one finger to her lips.
Do not react.
Maya requested a recess.
The judge granted ten minutes.
Rachel met them in a stairwell instead of the hallway.
She locked the door behind her.
"Mom is not doing this alone," she said.
Daniel stared at her.
"Who is helping her?"
Rachel pulled a flash drive from her pocket.
"I don't know everyone."
She pressed it into his hand.
"But Dad knew something was wrong before he died."
Daniel looked down at the drive.
"What is this?"
"Copies of account ledgers I found on an old server."
Emma frowned.
"What accounts?"
Rachel looked at Noah through the narrow glass in the stairwell door.
"His."
Daniel's head snapped up.
"Noah doesn't have an account."
Rachel's voice dropped.
"He has a trust."
Maya went still.
"How much?"
May you like
Rachel looked at Daniel.
"Eight point four million dollars."
