Chapter 16
I put her on speaker and told her about the voicemails. She was silent for a moment, then asked me to forward both to her immediately.
“Do not contact Marcus directly yet,” she said. “I’ll reach out. As for the safe, that is not something you handle yourself. If there are documents connected to a suspected property fraud, law enforcement needs to know.”
“Fraud,” Claire repeated, as if naming it made the room colder.
Naomi continued, “Elaine, there’s something else. I reviewed the scanned deed again after your call. The notary stamp is real, but the signature page has inconsistencies. The witness name caught my attention.”
“What witness name?”
“Lydia Crane.”
I frowned. “I don’t know anyone named Lydia Crane.”
“I didn’t think you did,” Naomi said. “But I searched my own case notes. That name appeared in another matter I consulted on last year. Different family. Similar attempted transfer. Elderly parent pressured to sign over property. Same notary.”
Claire leaned forward. “So this has happened before?”
“I can’t discuss another client’s confidential matter,” Naomi said. “But I can say this may not be only about your apartment.”
A chill moved through me.
Genesis had not seemed desperate last night. Entitled, yes. Angry, yes. But beneath it all there had been confidence, as if the result had been decided before I arrived.
Maybe it had.
Maybe my apartment was not her first attempt.
Maybe it was simply the first time someone had said no in a room full of witnesses.
Naomi’s voice softened. “Elaine, I know this is overwhelming. For today, focus on safety and medical follow-up. I’m filing the emergency petition we discussed. I’ll also coordinate with the officer assigned to the property issue.”
“What happens to Jackson?” I asked.
“That depends on the police report, witness statements, and charging decision. You do not need to manage that.”
I looked at Claire’s kitchen window. Outside, the lemon tree in her yard swayed gently in the morning breeze.
For years, I had managed everything.
May you like
Jackson’s moods. Genesis’s expectations. Bills he forgot. Apologies he owed. Stories he changed. Rooms he emptied of warmth.
The idea that something could happen without me managing it felt almost impossible.
