Chapter 4 - The Dead Doctor
By noon, Blair's world had divided into things she could document and things she could only suspect.
Camille Price arrived at the hospital carrying a folder and a tired expression.
“This guardianship application was drafted at least two weeks ago,” she said.
“Before the incident.”
“Before your mother supposedly became dangerous, yes.”
She placed a copy of the medical affidavit on the table.
Dr. Harold Fenwick was listed as having examined Corinne four days earlier.
A public obituary established that he had died the previous winter.
“Someone thought nobody would look closely,” Blair said.
“Or someone thought there wouldn't be time.”
The request sought emergency control over Corinne's property and access to financial records.
The petition named Nolan as proposed guardian.
Corinne read it once and pushed it away.
“I raised a daughter who could lead soldiers,” she said.
“And he wants a judge to believe I can't manage my own checking account.”
Her voice broke at the end.
Blair took her hand.
“Your independence isn't something he gets to take by filing a form.”
Camille advised a medical capacity evaluation from an independent geriatric specialist.
She also arranged a protective-order hearing and called Ruiz to alert her about the fraudulent affidavit.
Then she asked Blair an uncomfortable question.
“Have you ever signed any powers of attorney giving Nolan access to your finances?”
“No.”
“Are you certain?”
“Completely.”
Camille nodded grimly.
“Your father may have caught something much larger than a single fake signature.”
Blair thought of every time Nolan had offered to handle household paperwork because her assignments kept her busy.
He paid the mortgage.
He renewed insurance.
He smiled when she thanked him for making life easier.
“What should I do first?”
“Separate your accounts and preserve all records.”
“Done.”
“Change credentials after documenting everything, and inform your financial institutions about possible fraud.”
Blair opened her laptop.
A notification awaited her from their joint bank.
A wire transfer had been initiated forty minutes earlier.
The amount was $184,000.
The destination was an account she did not recognize.
Nolan had apparently expected her to be too distracted by her mother's injuries to notice.
Camille leaned forward.
“Can it be stopped?”
Blair called the fraud department.
The representative froze the transfer pending review.
An account specialist asked for Blair's security verification.
She provided it.
Then came the question that nearly made her laugh from disbelief.
“Did you authorize the change of your contact number yesterday?”
“No.”
“Your account indicates that a phone ending in 1179 was added as your primary number.”
Blair recognized the digits.
They belonged to Nolan's business manager, Diane Mercer.
She had met Diane twice.
Both times, Diane had insisted she knew nothing about the family finances.
Outside the window, the afternoon sun washed the parking lot pale.
May you like
Blair realized the deception had never belonged to one man alone.
