Chapter 7: The Witness Who Had Been Paid to Lie
The bank reference number was the first thing Daniel investigated.
By nine that evening, he had traced the payment to an account belonging to a company called Wells Family Consulting.
The account had received three separate transfers over the previous six weeks.
The total was $24,000.
The money had originated from one of the accounts connected to Lily's trust.
I stared at the transaction report.
“That's my daughter's money.””
Daniel nodded.
“And someone used it to pay a witness to make false allegations against you.””
Patricia stood near the window, holding her phone.
“I know that company.””
I turned.
“How?””
“Ethan mentioned it once. He said he had registered a consulting business for a client who needed help with administrative work.””
“Did he say who the client was?””
“No. But he complained that the paperwork was taking too long.””
I looked at the company name again.
“Your son is involved in this.””
Patricia's face crumpled.
“I don't want to believe that.””
“I don't want to believe any of this either.””
Daniel closed the report.
“We need to be careful. The company registration alone doesn't establish who directed the payments. But the financial records are significant.””
I picked up my phone.
“I want to speak to the school counselor.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Not tonight. Vanessa's attorney will likely advise her not to communicate with you. We should obtain the original affidavit and investigate how it was prepared.””
I looked at Lily.
She had fallen asleep on the office sofa, still wearing her pink backpack.
Her hand rested on Emily's photograph.
I lowered my voice.
“Then tomorrow morning, we tell the judge everything.””
Daniel nodded.
“There's one thing I need you to understand. Vanessa's petition isn't only about custody. If the court believes you are unstable, she may also attempt to obtain authority over certain family assets.””
“Why would she need custody to access Lily's trust?””
“Because the original estate documents give the surviving parent limited administrative authority. If your authority is suspended, someone else could request temporary oversight.””
I looked at the trust agreement.
Emily had anticipated exactly this possibility.
But I still didn't know how far Vanessa had gone.
The following morning, I received a call from an unfamiliar number.
“Mr. Carter?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Allison Reed. I'm the school counselor at Lily's elementary school.””
I sat up.
“Why are you calling?””
“I need to speak with you before the hearing.””
“About your affidavit?””
There was a long pause.
“Yes.””
I looked toward Daniel.
He motioned for me to put the call on speaker.
Allison sounded frightened.
“I didn't write the statement that's been submitted to the court.””
“Your signature is on it.””
“I know. But the document I signed was different.””
“What did you sign?””
“A statement confirming that Lily had mentioned feeling uncomfortable during a family vacation. Vanessa told me it was part of a routine family support assessment.””
Daniel leaned closer.
“Did you sign a statement saying Mr. Carter was neglectful?””
“No. Absolutely not.””
“Did you write that Lily wanted to live somewhere else?””
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“I would never write that without speaking to Lily privately and following the appropriate procedures.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Who changed the document?””
“I don't know. Vanessa sent me a scanned copy to review. She said she needed it for a family court matter. I signed the last page electronically.””
Daniel wrote something down.
“Did you receive money?””
Allison started crying.
“No. But someone offered me a consulting contract last month. It was supposed to pay for educational materials for the school.””
“Who offered it?””
“Ethan Wells.””
Patricia closed her eyes.
Allison continued.
“I rejected the contract when I discovered that the money was coming from a private family account. I thought it was inappropriate.””
Daniel asked her to preserve all correspondence and provide the original document.
Before ending the call, Allison said something that made me sit completely still.
“Mr. Carter, there's another reason I contacted you.””
“What?””
“Last week, Vanessa brought Lily to my office without telling you.””
My stomach tightened.
“What happened?””
“She asked Lily whether she would prefer to live with a different family.””
I looked toward the sofa.
Lily was awake now.
She was watching me.
“What did Lily say?””
Allison lowered her voice.
“She asked whether her father would be allowed to visit her.””
I closed my eyes.
“And Vanessa?””
“She told Lily that visits could be arranged if Lily behaved.””
My hands clenched.
Allison continued.
“Lily started crying. I asked Vanessa to leave the room so I could speak with her privately. Before leaving, Vanessa told Lily to remember that her father was the reason the family couldn't be happy.””
I looked at my daughter.
She lowered her head.
I wanted to walk into the airport and drag Vanessa back to the gate where she had torn that boarding pass.
Instead, I took a breath.
“Thank you for telling me.””
After the call, Daniel immediately began arranging a formal statement from Allison.
Then Patricia's phone rang.
She answered.
“Ethan?””
Her face changed.
She turned away from us.
“What do you mean you've been called by the police?””
I stood up.
Patricia listened for several seconds.
Then she whispered:
“You signed what?””
She ended the call.
Everyone looked at her.
“My son says Richard told him the company paperwork was legitimate. He says he only registered the holding company and received payments for administrative services.””
“Did he know the money came from Lily's trust?”” I asked.
Patricia shook her head.
“He claims he didn't.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Ask him whether he still has the original registration documents.””
Patricia called him again.
This time, Ethan answered immediately.
“Mom, please don't get involved.””
“Ethan, I need the truth.””
“Richard said everything was approved.””
“Did you know the money belonged to a child?””
Silence.
Then he said something that made Patricia's knees weaken.
“Mom, Richard told me Lily wasn't going to be part of the family anymore.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
Patricia put the call on speaker.
Ethan continued.
“He said Vanessa was arranging for Lily to live with someone else. Once that happened, the trust would be easier to manage.””
Daniel spoke directly into the phone.
“Mr. Wells, this is attorney Daniel Brooks. Did you receive instructions from Richard Carter regarding the transfer of family assets?””
Ethan hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Did you receive instructions regarding Lily's relocation?””
Another pause.
“Yes.””
“Do you have those instructions in writing?””
Ethan's voice became barely audible.
“I have emails.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Tell him to preserve everything.””
Daniel did.
Ethan agreed to cooperate.
But before he ended the call, he said something else.
“There's something you should know. Richard isn't planning to stop with the trust.””
“What else does he want?”” I asked.
Ethan swallowed.
“The company.””
My stomach tightened.
“He already has control of the holding company.””
“No,” Ethan said.
“He wants the original company. The entire thing.””
Then he gave us a date.
Monday.
Three days away.
May you like
That was when Richard planned to complete the transfer of Carter Development Group's remaining assets.
And according to Ethan, the money was supposed to disappear before anyone could challenge the paperwork.
