Chapter 13 - Patricia Takes the Stand
Patricia denied everything.
Through counsel, she called Mauro's disclosure an attempt to shift blame for his own irresponsible spending.
She said the foundation had paid legitimate expenses and that any disputed transactions were bookkeeping mistakes.
There was no reason for us to accept either version without records.
The special committee continued its review, and a court-approved process allowed documents to be produced and challenged.
As evidence accumulated, Patricia's public appearances became less frequent.
Her lawyer advised her not to speak to reporters.
She ignored that advice at least once.
During a filmed interview she described me as a vindictive heiress trying to erase the family that had made me respectable.
I had spent years wanting her approval.
Watching the interview, I realized I no longer wanted her to understand me.
I wanted her to stop harming people.
The financial review identified invoices billed to the foundation for consulting work whose deliverables could not be found.
Several payments had flowed to a company linked to Patricia.
An independent accountant testified about the paper trail at a preliminary hearing related to the marital claims.
She made no claim about criminal intent.
She explained what the documents showed and what remained uncertain.
Then Patricia appeared as a witness.
She entered wearing pearls and a tailored gray suit.
She looked directly at me before sitting down.
Her attorney guided her through questions about the household and the foundation.
Under questioning, she repeated that she believed the estate was a Vance family home.
Our counsel asked whether she had ever reviewed the trust deed.
"My son told me what I needed to know," she said.
"So your belief wasn't based on any deed naming you an owner?"
"A family is more than paperwork."
"That wasn't the question."
Patricia's smile disappeared.
She admitted she had never seen a document granting her ownership.
When asked about the airport threat, she claimed not to remember the words.
Our lawyer played the preserved voicemail in which Patricia threatened to throw me out.
Her voice filled the quiet room.
Even she looked startled to hear it.
I did not smile.
Humiliation was too easy to confuse with justice.
After the hearing, Teresa approached me in the hallway.
"My brother wants to talk," she said.
"Edwin?"
"Yes. He says there's one thing Patricia has never told Mauro."
"What is it?"
Teresa's hands shook.
"He says the old Kessler settlement wasn't a loss."
I waited.
"It was a payoff."
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And according to Edwin, my grandfather had been the person who paid it.
