Chapter 10 - The Sergeant
Sergeant Paul Danner had supervised the first perimeter at Riverside. Alvarez requested his duty logs, vehicle records, and all available footage. Before she could interview him, Danner called in sick.
"He has a brother in county procurement," Tessa said. "That could be a coincidence."
"Most things start as coincidences," Alvarez answered. "We test them."
Nora's lawyer, a sharp local attorney named Miriam Cho, arrived with a briefcase of documents and a warning.
"Harlan has filed an emergency petition claiming Nora is unstable and Eli needs protective placement."
"On what basis?" Nora demanded.
"A statement from Adrian Vale and a report signed by a clinician who says she examined you yesterday."
"I was locked in my basement yesterday."
"That's why we contest it. We do it in court, on the record."
Ben told Eli about the hearing in simple terms. "Some adults have made mistakes. A judge will ask questions before deciding anything."
"Can the judge ask me?"
"Maybe. You won't have to do it alone."
At the courthouse the next morning, Harlan appeared in a tailored charcoal suit, flanked by counsel. She was silver-haired, composed, and skilled at smiling without warmth.
"Officer Mercer," she said as they crossed paths. "I'm sorry about the confusion regarding your family."
Ben stopped. He had not told her about Samuel.
"Who told you?"
"Small county. People talk."
Alvarez stepped between them. "Director, any questions go through counsel."
Harlan's expression did not change. But her attorney whispered something, and she lost her color.
Inside the hearing room, Cho produced hospital timestamps disproving the clinician's report. Harlan's petition began to unravel.
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Then the judge received a sealed note from a court officer. He read it and called counsel to the bench.
"There is a new allegation," he said. "That the child in question is not legally Nora Parker's son.
