Chapter 5 - THE DOCTOR'S SIGNATURE
Lily stared at the sheared bolt in the little boy’s hand. The metal was bright and jagged where it had been intentionally weakened, designed to snap under the exact weight of a motorized wheelchair.
She quickly took the bolt, wrapping it in a tissue and shoving it deep into her purse. She knelt down, forcing a warm, reassuring smile for the terrified child. “It’s just a piece of junk, Oliver. I’ll throw it away for you. You go finish your spaceship, okay?”
Oliver nodded, running back to the rug, blissfully unaware of the murder weapon he had just handed her.
Lily looked up at Ethan. His face was entirely devoid of color. The realization that his brother had walked into this house, hugged his son, all while carrying the bolt that was supposed to send him to a watery grave, was breaking him.
“I’ll take the job,” Lily said fiercely.
For the rest of the day, Lily played the role of the attentive nanny. She explored the estate, keeping Oliver in her sight at all times. The mansion was beautiful, but it felt like a gilded cage. Security cameras tracked her every move.
At 4:00 PM, Marcus Whitmore cornered her in the grand hallway.
He was holding a crystal glass of bourbon, smiling that same flat, calculating smile. “Miss Carter. I must admit, I was surprised when Ethan hired you. It seems like a trauma response. Clinging to the woman who pulled him from the drink.”
“He just wanted Oliver to have a friendly face around,” Lily said neutrally.
Marcus took a sip of his drink. He reached into his tailored jacket and pulled out a crisp, white envelope. He held it out to her.
“There is a cashier’s check in here for one hundred thousand dollars,” Marcus said softly. “You can take it right now, walk out that front door, and never look back. All I ask in return is the heavy steel watch my brother gave you in the water.”
Answer One, Open Two. Marcus had seen the handoff. He knew the evidence survived. But if he knew Ethan had the files, why was he letting Ethan stay in the house with Oliver?
Lily looked at the envelope. It was more money than she had ever seen. She looked back at Marcus. “I don't know what you’re talking about. He didn't give me anything.”
Marcus sighed, a deeply patronizing sound. He put the envelope away and pulled out a thick blue medical folder instead.
“You think you’re protecting him,” Marcus said, his voice dripping with faux sympathy. “You don't understand how sick he is, Lily. Since the car crash that killed Sarah, Ethan has suffered from severe paranoid schizophrenia. He thinks everyone is trying to kill him. He thinks I’m stealing from the company.”
Marcus opened the folder, showing her a psychiatric evaluation. “He is a danger to himself and to Oliver. I’m filing for full custody tomorrow, and I’m having Ethan committed to a secure facility. If you interfere, you’ll be charged as an accomplice to child endangerment.”
Lily’s stomach plummeted. The medical document looked incredibly official. It was stamped by a state-appointed psychiatrist. For one terrifying second, doubt crept into her mind. What if Ethan was paranoid? What if the SD card files were forged?
Marcus smiled, seeing her hesitation. “Think about it, Lily.” He walked away.
Lily rushed back to the library. Ethan was looking out the window, staring at the harbor in the distance.
“He showed me a psychiatric evaluation,” Lily blurted out, her heart hammering. “He says he’s committing you tomorrow.”
Ethan didn't look surprised. He just looked impossibly tired. “I know. He bought the judge and the doctor. He’s going to lock me in a padded room so he can take Oliver and the company.”
Lily walked over to the desk and opened the tablet with the SD card files again. She pulled up the offshore bank transfers Marcus had used to steal the pension funds. Then, a chilling detail caught her eye.
“Ethan,” Lily whispered, pointing at the screen.
She compared the signature on the stolen bank transfers to the signature on the medical evaluation Marcus had just shown her.
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They weren't Marcus’s signatures.
“The signature authorizing the faulty steel... and the signature on your psychiatric hold,” Lily breathed. “They’re yours, Ethan. He’s forging your name on everything. When the terminal collapses, you won't just be crazy. You’ll be the one going to federal prison for the fraud.”
