Chapter 10 - Cutting the Leash
At 8:00 AM, my lawyer, David Henderson, arrived at the hospital with a stack of signed legal documents.
"I pulled every favor I had at the county courthouse," David said, handing me a blue folder. "This is an emergency restraining order. Evelyn cannot come within 1,000 feet of you, Anna, or the baby. Furthermore, I contacted the probate court regarding your late father’s estate."
"What about the trust?" I asked, sipping bitter black coffee that tasted like ash.
"Evelyn lied to you for a decade, Mark," David said, his face deadpan. "Your father did not leave the trust under her sole control. The terms clearly state that the moment you turned twenty-five and married, full executorship transferred to you. Evelyn forged your signature on annual waiver forms to keep herself as the primary trustee."
I stared at David in disbelief. "She stole control of the entire estate?"
"Over three million dollars in real estate and municipal bonds," David confirmed. "She used the threat of your father's money to keep you obedient, while she was illegally siphoning off management fees. I’ve already frozen all the accounts. She has zero access to funds for bail."
"Good. Let her sit in county lockup."
"There’s one complication," David warned. "Her sister, your Aunt Clara, just posted a $50,000 surety bond through a private bondsman twenty minutes ago. Evelyn is out on bail."
I dropped the coffee cup into the trash can.
"Where is she going?"
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"According to the bondsman, she took an Uber straight from the precinct. She told them she had to pick up 'essential items' from your residence before the restraining order is formally served by the sheriff's deputy at noon."
My blood turned to pure acid. "She’s at my house."
