Chapter 4 - The Attorney at the Door
Julian recovered quickly.
Men like him usually do when they believe confidence can substitute for innocence.
"What are you doing here?"
Sarah closed the door behind herself.
"Visiting my client."
"This is a family matter."
"Genevieve is my client."
Eleanor stepped forward.
"You're intruding."
Sarah glanced at the papers.
"Those appear to be corporate proxies belonging to Vance Development, which makes this very much my business."
Julian grabbed several documents.
Sarah's voice sharpened.
"Don't."
He froze.
"Put them down."
"This is ridiculous."
"Then you won't mind leaving everything exactly where it is."
Victoria moved toward the doorway.
Sarah looked at her.
"I wouldn't leave yet."
Victoria stopped.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
"You can't detain me."
"No. But the hospital security officers waiting outside can document everyone leaving this room."
Julian stared at Sarah.
"You called security?"
"I called several people."
That sentence changed the atmosphere.
Sarah approached my bed.
"Genevieve, are you safe?"
I looked toward Hazel.
"My daughter."
Sarah immediately understood.
She rolled the bassinet back beside me.
Hazel was still crying.
Sarah carefully lifted her and placed her against my chest with the support of the nurse who had just entered.
The moment Hazel felt me, her cries softened.
I buried my face against her tiny head.
"I'm here," I whispered.
For the first time since Julian entered the room, I felt human again.
Sarah watched me for several seconds.
Then she turned toward Julian.
"Did Genevieve sign anything?"
"No."
"Did you threaten to have her declared incompetent?"
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"She misunderstood."
"Interesting."
Sarah looked at me.
"Genevieve?"
I swallowed.
"Check beneath my pillow."
Julian's face went white.
Sarah reached beneath the pillow.
She found the phone.
The recording was still running.
One hour and seventeen minutes.
Sarah stopped it.
Nobody spoke.
Then she placed the phone carefully into the evidence bag.
Victoria whispered, "Oh my God."
Sarah looked at her.
"Yes. That seems appropriate."
Julian stepped toward the bed.
"Genevieve, listen to me."
Sarah moved between us.
"No."
"This is my wife."
"Correct."
"Move."
"No."
His voice rose.
"You don't understand what happened."
Sarah's expression remained calm.
"Then you'll have plenty of opportunities to explain it."
The door opened again.
Two hospital security officers entered.
Behind them stood my surgeon and the hospital administrator.
Julian looked around the room.
For the first time, he understood.
He no longer controlled the audience.
And the story he had planned to tell about his helpless wife was already collapsing.
But what none of us knew yet was that the recording beneath my pillow was only the beginning.
Because Sarah had discovered something else before coming to the hospital.
Something hidden inside Vance Development's financial records.
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And when she showed it to me the next morning, I realized Julian hadn't merely planned to steal my company.
He had already started.
