Chapter 4 - The First Signature: Unearthing the Corporate Audit
By 10:00 a.m.,
I had arranged for a private night nurse to sit with Eli,
stepping out into the sterile hallway,
I dialed Arthur Vance,
the senior partner at Vance & Sterling,
and the most formidable family law attorney in Maryland,
Arthur had handled my father’s estate years ago,
and when he answered on the second ring,
his voice was grave,
“Mara,
I heard about Eli on the morning news roundup,
is he alright?”
“He’s recovering from internal bleeding,
Arthur,
he’s going to live.”
“Thank God,
and Grant?”
“Grant was at an amusement park celebrating a little girl’s birthday while Eli was on the table,” I said,
“Furthermore,
Grant diverted emergency O-negative blood from the county medical center to Whitmore Heart Center for that same child.”
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line,
“Diverted emergency regional supplies?
That’s not just a marital grievance,
Mara,
that’s a federal health code violation,
potentially criminal negligence depending on the statutes involved.”
“I want a complete asset freeze,
Arthur,
I want temporary sole custody,
and I want a forensic audit of Whitmore Heart Center and all joint accounts immediately.”
“Consider it done,
Mara,” Arthur said,
his professional tone sharpening into predatory focus,
“Do you have the transfer authorization paperwork?”
“I photographed the screen at the nurse's station last night before they locked the files,” I replied,
“I’ll send it to your secure portal within the hour.”
“Excellent,
when wealthy men build empires,
they often forget to secure their back doors,
Grant has left a paper trail a mile wide,
assuming his status would protect him.”
“He’s about to find out that status is just weight when you fall,” I said,
“Meet me at your office at two o'clock.”
“I’ll have the emergency injunctions drafted before you walk through the door.”
I ended the call and walked back into Eli’s room,
feeling the first real breath of air in years,
May you like
the invisible chains that had bound me to Grant’s shadow were snapping one by one,
and every snap echoed with the promise of justice.
