Chapter 7 - Pier Nine

Thomas never spoke about Pier Nine without changing the subject. I had assumed it was a failed real-estate deal from his younger years. Now I realized silence could be a warning I hadn't understood.

I called my attorney, Miriam Cole, and asked her to meet us. By the time she arrived, the police had finished the first inspection. Rosa went home with her daughter. I promised her that her job and her safety mattered more than anyone's reputation.

Miriam read the note. “Pier Nine was a marina development,” she said. “Thomas was an early investor. Whitmore managed the construction contracts.”

“What happened?” Daniel asked.

“A worker was badly injured after a support platform failed. The project shut down. The civil case settled years later.”

“Why would someone bring that up now?”

Miriam turned toward me. “Because your husband kept copies of the original contractor payments. He suspected Whitmore had diverted safety funds.”

I pictured Thomas sitting alone at the kitchen table, working through invoices long after midnight.

“Was there proof?” I asked.

“Not enough to make an allegation stick. Thomas didn't want to risk accusing the wrong person.”

Daniel rubbed his forehead. “Vanessa's father told me my dad ruined his career. He said it was personal.”

“It was personal,” I replied. “A man was hurt.”

Miriam's phone rang. She listened, then her expression hardened. “We have a problem. Harbor Crown filed for an emergency injunction this morning, alleging you are mentally unfit to manage the property.”

Daniel stared at her. “On what basis?”

“A physician's letter.”

I hadn't visited that physician in my life.

Miriam showed me the filing. Attached was a typed assessment describing confusion, memory loss, and erratic financial decisions.

The signature at the bottom belonged to Dr. Alan Pierce, a private physician who, according to the clinic website, had retired eight months earlier.

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“Someone wants a judge to believe I can't speak for myself,” I said.

Miriam's eyes held mine. “And the first hearing is tomorrow morning.”