Chapter 3 - The Gathering of Evidence
I couldn't just walk out and confront her. Evelyn was a highly respected medical professional with deep ties to the city's legal elite. If I acted on impulse, she would use her connections, her pristine public reputation, and the legal framework of our engagement to fight me. I needed absolute, undeniable proof of her financial fraud and her systemic abuse of my children.
I slipped out of the hidden service entrance, walking down the long, wooded path toward the guest house at the edge of the estate. I had told the staff the guest house was undergoing plumbing repairs, so it was entirely empty.
Sitting at the small wooden desk in the guest suite, I dialed my private security chief, Marcus.
"Arthur?" Marcus answered on the first ring, expecting me to be at JFK airport. "Did you miss your flight?"
"Cancel the flight, Marcus. And listen to me very carefully," I said, my voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I need an immediate, deep forensic audit on the household accounts, but not through the firm. I need you to trace the routing numbers Evelyn Vance used for the household expenses over the last six months. Look for offshore transfers or secondary accounts under her maiden name."
There was a brief pause on the line. "Arthur... what’s going on?"
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"She’s framing Martha Gable. And she’s terrorizing my daughters the moment I turn my back. I am sitting in the guest house right now. I need the financial data by tonight, and I need a discreet family lawyer who doesn't rub shoulders with the Vance family."
"I'm on it," Marcus said, his tone instantly shifting into professional gravity. "Stay out of sight, Arthur. If she realizes you're still on the property before we have the data, she’ll clean the digital trail."
