Chapter 16 - The Missing Doctor
The doctor’s name was Samuel Park.
He had been Grandpa’s personal physician for more than twenty years and had also signed the original hereditary-beneficiary schedule used by the trust.
His clinic was closed.
His house was empty.
His neighbors said he left two days after Grandpa died.
No forwarding address.
Vivian’s threat became clear.
If she could challenge Avery’s qualification long enough, the board could push through a sale before the foundation gained permanent control.
Maya slammed the trust binder shut.
“This is legal sabotage.”
“Can we use a DNA test?” Nora asked.
“Yes, but Vivian can challenge chain of custody and timing. We need every piece of evidence possible.”
Detective Reed found Dr. Park through a licensing renewal in Oregon.
He agreed to speak by video.
He looked frightened before we asked a single question.
“Vivian knows you found me?”
“No,” Reed said.
He exhaled.
Then he told us why he left.
After Grandpa’s collapse, Caleb asked him to alter the medical timeline.
Dr. Park refused.
Vivian offered him money.
He refused again.
Two days later, someone broke into his home.
Nothing was stolen.
A photo of his grandchildren was left on the kitchen table.
He disappeared the next morning.
“Do you have the original certification?” Maya asked.
Dr. Park nodded.
“I kept a notarized duplicate in a medical archive.”
Relief flooded the room.
Then he added, “But that isn’t the most important document Arthur gave me.”
He held up a sealed envelope.
“Three weeks before his death, Arthur asked me to witness a statement.”
“What statement?”
Dr. Park looked directly into the camera.
“He said if anything happened to him before the board audit, George, Vivian, Caleb, and Julian were to be investigated.”
Nora whispered, “He knew.”
“He suspected.”
The envelope arrived by secure courier the next morning.
Inside was Grandpa’s signed statement and the paternity certification.
Maya smiled for the first time in days.
“This ends Vivian’s challenge.”
She was wrong.
At 10:07 a.m., the company announced an emergency board meeting.
At 10:22, Vivian filed a petition claiming Grandpa was mentally incompetent when he signed the trust amendment.
At 10:31, she produced a medical declaration supporting her claim.
The declaration carried Dr. Samuel Park’s signature.
May you like
He looked at the document on our screen and whispered,
“I never signed that.”
