Chapter 3 - THE PAPERS CLARA SIGNED
Daniel Mercer arrived before sunset.
Unlike Gerald Knox, Daniel worked for me personally.
He had no loyalty to the Vance family.
That was suddenly important.
I handed him screenshots of the fake messages Clara had received.
Then I told him about the papers.
His face changed.
“What exactly did she sign?”
“She doesn’t know.”
“Did she sign in front of a notary?”
“I’m finding out.”
Marcus searched Eleanor’s office.
Nothing.
Then one of the security officers discovered a fireproof document pouch hidden inside a suitcase in the garage.
Daniel opened it.
The first document made him swear.
“What?”
He placed it in front of me.
TEMPORARY GUARDIANSHIP AUTHORIZATION.
My mother’s name appeared as proposed guardian of our unborn child if Clara became medically incapacitated.
My signature line was blank.
Clara’s signature appeared at the bottom.
The second document was worse.
A statement claiming Clara suffered from severe prenatal depression.
Another claimed she had expressed fear that she might harm herself after childbirth.
All signed.
All witnessed by the same person.
Gerald Knox.
I felt physically sick.
“She thought she was signing insurance papers.”
Daniel nodded.
“They may have been presented inside a larger packet.”
“What could Eleanor do with this?”
“By itself?”
“Not much.”
“But?”
“With medical evidence that Clara is malnourished and exhausted, Eleanor could argue Clara is mentally unstable.”
My anger sharpened.
“She caused the malnutrition.”
“We know that.”
“A judge wouldn’t.”
“Not without the recordings.”
I looked toward Marcus.
“Back them up in three places.”
“Already done.”
Daniel turned another page.
“This one concerns your estate.”
“What?”
He handed it over.
It was an old family trust amendment.
If I died without a surviving competent spouse, management authority over shares held for my child would temporarily pass to Eleanor.
I stared at the language.
“Gerald drafted this?”
“Looks like it.”
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
I remembered signing several estate planning updates after expanding the company.
I had trusted Gerald.
My mother had sat beside me during the meeting.
Daniel tapped the page.
“This doesn’t give Eleanor ownership.”
“Then why would she care?”
“Control.”
That word hung between us.
My son would inherit a substantial interest in Vance Logistics.
If I died.
If Clara was declared incompetent.
If Eleanor became temporary guardian.
My mother could control my child.
And potentially influence the company through him.
I sat down.
“Find every document Gerald has ever prepared for me.”
Daniel nodded.
“And every payment from my accounts to Gerald.”
Marcus added, “There’s something else.”
He placed a tablet on the desk.
A video from the dining room showed Eleanor speaking with one of her friends after Clara left.
The timestamp was twelve days earlier.
Her friend laughed.
“How long are you going to keep feeding the girl like a prisoner?”
My mother replied without emotion.
“Until she looks unstable enough.”
The woman stopped laughing.
Eleanor continued.
“Sebastian sees what I allow him to see.”
“He always has.”
I stared at the screen.
Then my mother said the sentence that changed the investigation.
“Once the baby is here, Clara won’t matter.”
Her friend asked, “And Sebastian?”
Eleanor smiled.
“My son signs whatever I put in front of him.”
Daniel paused the video.
No one spoke.
Then another voice came from off camera.
A man.
“Not forever.”
My chest tightened.
Marcus increased the audio.
The man stepped into view.
Gerald Knox.
He poured himself a drink.
“Sebastian is becoming suspicious.”
My mother smiled.
“Then we move before the birth.”
I looked at Daniel.
“Move what?”
May you like
He stared at the screen.
“I think we’re about to find out.”
