Chapter 5 - The Signature“That isn't her signature,” I said.

Nora enlarged the document. The loop in the C was wrong. Chloe had always crossed the letter h with a quick upward stroke, and this signature looked like somebody had carefully drawn it from memory.

“Maybe,” Nora said. “We'll need original records and an examiner. Right now it's an allegation, not proof.”

“But why use her name?”

“To make her responsible if the money trail leads somewhere illegal.”

At noon, Garrett's attorney called Ortiz. The Harrington family wanted to cooperate, he said, but Chloe had been unstable, and Samantha Ward was harassing them. He claimed Chloe had fallen while trying to leave a family argument and that no one had struck her.

Ortiz read the documented injuries and shook her head. “The medical findings are not consistent with that account. We'll discuss specifics with counsel.”

Before hanging up, the attorney added, “Mrs. Harrington also has concerns about her daughter-in-law's handling of foundation funds.”

It was the same strategy as Natalie: accuse the woman before she can accuse them.

I drove home with a patrol officer following at a respectful distance. Nora insisted I pack essentials and stay somewhere the Harringtons couldn't easily find me. But I needed a photograph of Chloe as a child, one where she had frosting on her nose from her seventh birthday cake.

On my kitchen counter stood a white florist's box. I hadn't been home since the hospital. No one had permission to enter.

Inside sat twelve white roses and a printed card.

THE BABY DESERVES A BETTER FAMILY. ACCEPT OUR OFFER.

Beneath the card was a draft agreement naming me guardian of Chloe's medical decisions in exchange for my signature on a statement that she had been injured in an accident. It promised a life-changing sum for my silence.

The officer photographed everything before anyone touched the papers.

“Who has a key?” he asked.

“Only me and Chloe.”

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