Chapter 6 - The Audit
At eight o'clock the following morning, the sun broke through the clouds, filling the kitchen with warm, clear light.
I sat at the oak dining table with my attorney, Marcus Vance—a sharp, relentless corporate litigator who had been a close friend of my late ex-husband. A steaming mug of coffee sat between my hands, though I hadn't taken a sip. My face was heavily bruised, a dark purple welt covering my left cheekbone, and three butterfly bandages held my lip together.
Ruby was upstairs in her bedroom, fast asleep under a warm duvet, surrounded by her favorite stuffed animals, completely safe.
Marcus laid out three thick stacks of legal paper across the table.
“The grand jury signed off on the initial indictment an hour ago, Evelyn,” Marcus said, his voice quiet and professional. “Arthur is currently being held on $100,000 bail for domestic assault, child endangerment, and witness intimidation. Because of the physical evidence and the Ring camera footage from your neighbor's house that caught the noise, he won't be getting out on signature bond.”
I nodded slowly. “What about Eleanor and Paige?”
Marcus pulled a red folder toward him. “The district attorney’s financial crimes unit spent the night reviewing the bank transfers you submitted. Your mother didn't just forge your signature on credit applications, Evelyn. She opened a secondary shell account using your name and Ruby’s trust details to launder funds from your father’s union pension to avoid tax liens.”
I closed my eyes, a heavy sigh escaping my chest. “She involved Ruby’s trust?”
“She tried to,” Marcus clarified. “But because Samuel set up that trust with a dual-authorization clause requiring a court trustee’s signature for any withdrawal over $5,000, your mother’s forged checks bounced. That’s what triggered the federal banking alert three weeks ago. That’s why the bank flagged her.”
He leaned forward, placing his hands on the table.
“Paige is facing three counts of felony identity fraud and grand theft auto related to the illegal lease and the financing on her car. The DA is offering her a choice: cooperate fully with the prosecution against Eleanor and Arthur, or face up to seven years in state prison as a co-conspirator.”
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“Will she take the deal?” I asked.
Marcus smiled bitterly. “Paige has spent her entire life saving herself at everyone else’s expense. She’ll sign the plea deal before the ink on the indictment is dry.”
