Chapter 3 - The Freeze
The look on Allison’s face when Dr. Thorne and Brenda walked out of my house forty minutes later was worth every year of arthritis pain I had ever endured. She rushed up to them, gesturing wildly, expecting them to hand her an emergency removal order. Instead, Dr. Thorne brushed past her, got into his sedan, and drove away without a word. Brenda merely gave her a stern, warning look before following.
Allison slammed her hand against her steering wheel and tore down the street.
But I wasn't done. The evaluation was just defensive play. It was time for the offense.
I called my attorney, Arthur Vance. He had been Frank’s closest friend since college, and he was the only man who knew exactly how deep the roots of our estate ran.
"Arthur," I said when he answered. "The trap is sprung. They think Tuesday morning is their payday."
"Natalie, are you sure about this?" Arthur’s old, gravelly voice sounded heavy with regret. "Once we pull the plug on the corporate guarantees, Mark’s company goes under by Friday. The bank will call in his commercial leases. He could face criminal charges for that signature."
"Mark made his choice when he told me I belonged in a locked ward, Arthur," I replied, staring at the empty barbecue pit in the yard. "What about Allison?"
"The lake house LLC transfer has been flagged as a fraudulent transaction by the county recorder," Arthur confirmed. "The state attorney’s office is already looking into the notary she bribed to stamp the documents. She’s going to get a target on her back before she even steps into the courthouse tomorrow."
"And David?" My heart twinged slightly. David was the baby. He hadn't shouted at the barbecue; he had just stood there, letting his siblings do the dirty work, waiting for his third of the pie.
May you like
"David’s tech startup relies entirely on the quarterly stipend from Frank’s family trust," Arthur said quietly. "I've stopped the disbursement. As of noon today, his business accounts are frozen pending a full beneficiary review."
"Good," I said, closing my eyes. "Let them see what life looks like when the 'selfish' mother stops giving."
