Chapter 14 - A Name Used Without Permission
Nathan had spent all morning at the hospital. There was no possible way he had signed a school withdrawal form at 10:06 a.m.
Nora called the principal and explained that Nathan was Lucy's parent and disputed the document. She asked the school to preserve the original email and its delivery details, and to pause any change while verifying authority. The principal agreed.
"Your mother's people are getting desperate," Nora said after hanging up.
Nathan looked at the form. "Then they're making mistakes."
Simon Price traced the school email to Vale's office. Separately, the estate attorney obtained authenticated copies of the trust documents. The signatures on the disputed amendments appeared inconsistent with Hannah's known samples. A forensic document examiner was scheduled to review them.
Caroline returned to Nora's house, carrying a manila folder.
"Mom asked me to sign a statement saying Nathan is unstable and Lucy makes things up," she said. "She promised she'd forgive Peter's debt."
"Did you sign it?" Nathan asked.
"No. I brought it here."
He studied her, waiting. "Why now?"
Caroline looked at Lucy, who was drawing at the kitchen table. "Because my son asked me if I would have let Grandma put him on the floor, too. I told him never. And he asked why Lucy was different."
Max shuffled closer to his cousin. "I told Mom she needed to be brave."
Caroline's mouth trembled. "He was right."
That afternoon, Nathan met with a family-law attorney to respond to Evelyn's petition. The lawyer reviewed evidence, arranged a prompt court hearing, and recommended that Lucy receive support from a child therapist experienced in coercive family dynamics.
Lucy agreed to meet the therapist, but at bedtime she asked Nathan to promise something.
"If the judge asks me what happened, will Grandma be in the room?"
"We'll talk to the lawyer about the safest way for you to be heard. You won't have to face this alone."
She nodded, then reached under her pillow and handed him another note.
May you like
It was written in Hannah's handwriting and addressed not to Nathan but to Evelyn.
Its first line read: I know what happened to the Harbor House money before my fall.
