Chapter 16 - The Attorney
Rebecca did not run.
She came to Evelyn’s brownstone voluntarily.
Julian met her in the library.
“You have sixty seconds before I call federal agents.”
Rebecca closed the door.
“Then listen fast.”
“You were in a bank vault with Eleanor.”
“Yes.”
“You handled my divorce filing.”
“Yes.”
“You knew she forged documents.”
“I suspected.”
Julian stared at her.
“And said nothing?”
“I was building a case.”
“Against whom?”
“Daniel Pike and Grant Cross.”
Rebecca placed a small digital recorder on the desk.
“I went into that vault because Eleanor asked me to witness a transfer. I recorded the entire meeting.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because your house was compromised.”
Julian thought of the blackout.
The disabled alarms.
The forged papers.
“By who?”
Rebecca pressed play.
Pike’s voice filled the room.
“…once Leo is declared outside Julian’s custody, Eleanor becomes interim controller.”
Grant answered, “Only until the birthday. After that, no judge can stop the audit without cause.”
Eleanor said, “Then create cause.”
Pike laughed. “We already did.”
Julian’s skin went cold.
Rebecca paused it.
“The guardianship petition was prepared before you left for Singapore.”
“So pushing Leo was not planned?”
“No. That was Eleanor improvising because Maya caught her with the original trust.”
Julian felt sick.
“What was planned?”
Rebecca looked at him.
“To make Leo disappear from your legal custody for seventy-two hours.”
“How?”
“A staged child welfare intervention.”
Maya appeared in the doorway. “That’s why someone called social services last month.”
Julian turned. “What call?”
Maya’s face changed.
“You never knew?”
“No.”
“They came while you were in Singapore. Eleanor sent them away before they spoke to Leo.”
Rebecca stood.
“That wasn’t a failed visit.”
“What was it?” Julian asked.
“A rehearsal.”
Her phone buzzed.
She looked down.
Then went white.
“What?”
Rebecca turned the screen toward Julian.
May you like
An emergency order had just been issued.
Police were on their way to remove Leo from Julian’s custody.
