Chapter 4 - The Tuesday Courtroom
The probate courtroom in downtown Columbus was cold, smelling of old wood and anxiety. My three children sat on the left side of the aisle, flanked by a high-priced attorney named Henderson, who looked like he spent more time in tanning beds than law libraries. Mark was smirking; Allison was whispering furiously into her phone; David just looked miserable, staring at his shoes.
When I walked in with Arthur, all three of them stiffened.
"Case number 442-B," the bailiff announced. "In the matter of the emergency conservatorship of Natalie Brooks."
Judge Margaret Cho, a sharp-eyed woman in her late fifties, took her seat and adjusted her robes. She looked down at the petition. "Mr. Henderson, you represent the petitioners. Please present your core argument for why this court should strip a seventy-one-year-old woman of her civil liberties within forty-eight hours."
Henderson stood up, smoothing his jacket. "Your Honor, our petition is based on a pattern of escalating, dangerous behavior. Mrs. Brooks has cut off all meaningful contact with her family. Most alarmingly, this past weekend, during a family gathering, she suffered what can only be described as a manic episode, throwing essential legal documents and property deeds into an open fire while screaming at her children."
Mark nodded vigorously from the gallery. Allison squeezed out a tear, dabbing her eye with a tissue.
"We have video evidence of the aftermath, Your Honor," Henderson continued, holding up a flash drive. "The woman is clearly incapable of managing her vast estate and poses a threat to her own financial stability."
Judge Cho looked toward my table. "Mr. Vance? Your response?"
Arthur stood up calmly. He didn't look at Henderson. He looked straight at the judge. "Your Honor, we welcome the video evidence. In fact, we would like to submit the report of Dr. Aris Thorne, who conducted a full psychiatric evaluation of Mrs. Brooks yesterday morning at the petitioners' request."
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Arthur slid a paper packet to the clerk.
Judge Cho opened it. The courtroom went so quiet you could hear the hum of the fluorescent lights. I watched Mark’s smirk slowly fade as the judge's eyebrows climbed higher and higher up her forehead.
