MY SISTER SAID HER SON WAS MY LATE HUSBAND’S CHILD—THEN DEMANDED HALF MY $800,000 HOUSE.

Two weeks later, the preliminary deposition took place in a high-tech conference room at the Franklin County Courthouse.

The air in the room was suffocatingly tense.

Chloe sat at the far end of the table, wearing a designer suit that still had the security tag crease on the inner hem. Beside her sat Richard Sterling, looking smug, flipping through a stack of legal briefs.

My mother sat in the gallery behind Chloe, dabbing her eyes with a tissue, looking at me like I was a stranger who had stolen her daughter's body.

Arthur Vance sat beside me, his briefcase closed, his hands calmly resting on the table.

The court reporter adjusted her equipment. "We are on the record in the matter of Estate of Ethan Whittaker vs. Lisa Whittaker."

Richard Sterling cleared his throat loudly, leaning forward. "We are here to establish the validity of the handwritten codicil signed by the late Ethan Whittaker on October 14th, as well as to arrange a court-ordered DNA sample from the deceased’s preserved medical tissue to confirm paternity."

Vance raised a hand, looking entirely unbothered. "Before we discuss DNA, Mr. Sterling, I would like to examine the notary who validated this alleged document."

Sterling sneered. "Brenda Higgins is a certified notary public in the State of Ohio. Her stamp is legally binding."

"Then let's bring her in," Vance smiled.

The side door opened, and Brenda Higgins walked in. She was a woman in her late forty's, wearing a nervous expression and repeatedly pulling at the collar of her blouse. She sat down at the witness chair.

Arthur Vance stood up, buttoning his suit jacket, moving with the slow, deliberate grace of a predator.

"Ms. Higgins," Vance began gently. "Do you recognize this document?"

"Yes," Brenda said nervously. "It's the codicil to Mr. Whittaker's will."

"And you notarized this document on October 14th of last year in Columbus, Ohio?"

"Yes. I saw Ethan Whittaker sign it with my own eyes."

"I see," Vance said. He opened his leather folder and pulled out a large, high-definition photograph. "Ms. Higgins, can you identify the people in this picture?"

He handed the photo to the court reporter, who passed it to Brenda.

Brenda looked at the picture, and the color instantly drained from her face.

"That," Vance stated clearly for the record, "is a photograph of the late Ethan Whittaker sitting on a beach resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, holding a newspaper dated October 14th of last year. Beside him is his wife, Lisa. Here are the certified customs stamps, airline manifests, and credit card transactions proving Ethan Whittaker was out of the country for fourteen consecutive days surrounding that date."

Richard Sterling’s mouth opened. He snatched the photo from Brenda's hand. "This... this is irrelevant! The date on the document could be a clerical typo!"

"A clerical typo on a notarized legal document?" Vance countered, his voice suddenly sharp as a whip. "Ms. Higgins, let me remind you that committing perjury under oath in a state court carries a penalty of up to five years in federal prison. Did you see Ethan Whittaker sign this paper?"

Brenda began to tremble. She looked frantically at Richard Sterling, then at Chloe.

"I... I..." Brenda stammered, tears springing to her eyes. "Mr. Sterling told me it was fine! He said Ethan wanted it done before he died, but didn't have time to sign it! He paid me five thousand dollars to stamp it!"

"Brenda, shut up!" Sterling shouted, slamming his hand on the table.

"Motion to record," Vance said calmly to the court reporter. "Witness has confessed under oath to criminal forgery and notary fraud orchestrated by counsel."

Chloe’s face turned an unsightly shade of pale. "Richard! What is she talking about?!"