Chapter 9 - THE DEAD DOCTOR
"A dead doctor?" Adrian said when Nora laid the report in front of him. "They didn't even bother to pick a living one?"
"They expected nobody to challenge the paperwork," she answered. "You were supposed to remain in that chair."
Dr. Maya Chen, Adrian's real rehabilitation physician, joined them by video call. She described the measured recovery recorded in his chart: first supported standing in July, short walks in August, persistent nerve pain, and regular treatment afterward.
"He's not cured," she said. "He's improving. That's a medical distinction, not a weakness."
Nora asked whether she'd ever issued an opinion that he couldn't manage his finances.
"Absolutely not. Physical injury and decision-making capacity are separate things."
They could stop the sale temporarily with an emergency court filing, Nora explained. To expose the larger fraud, they still needed to connect the forged signatures, the garage tampering, and the people benefiting from both.
Adrian pulled up the buyer's public registration. Bellweather Holdings listed a mailing address at a business center in Delaware. Its attorney had also represented a firm run by Vanessa's brother.
"Maybe that's a coincidence," Nora said.
"How many coincidences are we allowed?"
"As many as the evidence supports. We need the ownership records."
A call interrupted them. It was Emma, speaking quickly and without greeting.
"The guy from the diner followed me to my apartment. I didn't go inside. I'm at the police station now."
Adrian rose too fast. Pain flashed through his left hip, and he caught the edge of the table.
"Are you hurt?"
"No. Don't come here. Ortiz has the security footage from my building."
In the video, a man in a gray jacket approached Emma's door carrying an envelope. Before leaving, he raised his head to the hall camera.
May you like
He was Caleb Ward.
And the envelope he slid under the door contained a photograph of Emma asleep.
