Chapter 14 - The Locked Office
I reached daycare with Naomi on speakerphone and a police car already in the parking lot. Lily was in the director's office coloring a paper sun. Ryan stood beside the reception desk, his cheeks bright red.
"She's my child," he kept saying. "I have rights."
"You do," the officer replied. "And this document doesn't say what you claim it says."
I knelt beside Lily, who had stopped drawing. She leaned against my shoulder without a word.
Ryan saw us through the glass and softened. "Em, I only wanted to take her for ice cream."
"Then ask the supervisor to arrange something the court permits. Why bring an altered order?"
He looked down. The officer collected the document and took statements. Because Lily hadn't been released, there was no abduction, but the attempted pickup and altered copy were documented and forwarded for review.
At home, Lily asked if Daddy was angry because she'd colored outside the lines. I sat with her until she believed me when I said no.
The next day, Naomi requested an urgent modification to protect daycare pickups. Judith's office sent another piece of news. An expert reviewing the disputed trust amendment had found inconsistencies between the document's execution date and the paper trail behind it. The purported witness, a retired accountant named Malcolm Greer, had denied signing it.
"He'll give a statement," Judith said. "He also remembers Arthur warning him about pressure from Diane."
At lunchtime, an envelope arrived at Naomi's office. No sender. Inside was a copy of a handwritten letter from Arthur addressed to Ryan.
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The first line was underlined twice: I AM NOT CUTTING YOU OUT OF MY FAMILY. I AM REFUSING TO LET YOUR DEBTS BECOME YOUR DAUGHTER'S FUTURE.
At the bottom, someone had written in fresh black ink: EMILY WILL PAY FOR THIS IF YOU KEEP PUSHING.
