Chapter 3: The Doctor Who Signed Away My Life
At 8:15 the following morning, I called my physician.
Dr. Richard Voss answered on the third ring.
“Arthur! Good morning. How are we feeling today?””
I looked at the photograph on my desk.
“Better than yesterday.””
“That's wonderful. Are you experiencing any dizziness?””
“Only when people lie to me.””
There was a pause.
“I'm sorry?””
“I need to see you at the house. Nine o'clock.””
“Of course. Is something wrong?””
“That's what I'm hoping you'll explain.””
I ended the call.
Renee stood beside the window, reviewing the documents she had collected overnight.
“You're sure you want to confront him before the board meeting?””
“I want to hear what he has to say.””
“What if he denies everything?””
“Then we'll ask him to explain his signature.””
At nine exactly, Dr. Voss arrived.
He carried his familiar black medical bag and wore a gray suit beneath his white coat.
For three months, he had visited me twice a week.
He had checked my blood pressure, monitored my rehabilitation, and encouraged me whenever my legs failed.
He had also told my children that I was making remarkable progress.
At least, that was what I believed.
“Arthur,” he said, extending his hand.
“You look much better.””
“Thank you. Sit down.””
His eyes moved briefly toward Renee.
“Is your attorney joining the examination?””
“She isn't here for an examination.””
I handed him the photograph.
He glanced at it.
Then his expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
“Where did you get this?””
“That's an interesting question. I was about to ask you something similar.””
He placed the photograph on the table.
“Arthur, I think there's been a misunderstanding.””
“Did you sign a petition declaring me mentally incompetent?””
He took off his glasses.
“Your children expressed concerns about your judgment.””
“My judgment?””
“After the accident, you experienced periods of confusion. There were concerns about your decision-making.””
“Did you examine me for mental incapacity?””
He hesitated.
“I reviewed your medical history.””
“That's not what I asked.””
Renee opened her folder.
“Doctor, the petition identifies you as the primary medical authority supporting the guardianship application. Can you show us the independent cognitive evaluation upon which your conclusion was based?””
Dr. Voss looked at her.
“I don't have that document with me.””
“Was one performed?””
He adjusted his tie.
“Not in the conventional sense.””
I leaned forward.
“Then what exactly did you sign?””
He looked uncomfortable.
“Your children were worried. They believed you might make financial decisions that could jeopardize the family.””
I stared at him.
“Financial decisions?””
“Yes.””
“Like refusing to give them my company?””
He said nothing.
Renee placed another document on the table.
“This is a copy of the medical assessment you submitted. It contains several statements indicating that Mr. Carter cannot reliably understand financial matters.””
Dr. Voss picked it up.
His face lost color.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the court filing.””
He looked at me.
“Arthur, I never intended for this to become a legal battle.””
I almost admired the sentence.
He had helped my children attempt to take away my legal rights, but apparently he hadn't intended for anyone to get upset.
“Who paid you?”” I asked.
His eyes snapped toward me.
“What?””
“Who paid you to sign that report?””
“Absolutely no one.””
Renee calmly removed a bank statement.
“Doctor, would you care to explain the $85,000 payment from Meridian Capital to your medical consulting company?””
The room went still.
Dr. Voss stood.
“This is inappropriate.””
“Sit down,” I said.
He looked at me.
For the first time since I had known him, he seemed unsure of himself.
“Arthur, I think we should discuss this privately.””
“No. You had no trouble discussing my private medical condition with my children.””
He slowly sat down.
Renee pushed the statement closer.
“The payment was made four days before you submitted the assessment. We also have an email exchange between your office and Daniel Carter.””
Dr. Voss rubbed his forehead.
“I was asked to provide an opinion.””
“An honest opinion?”” I asked.
He didn't answer.
I stood.
My legs trembled, but I remained upright.
“Doctor, I trusted you with my recovery. I allowed you to examine me, to speak with my family, and to make recommendations about my future.””
“Arthur—”
“I never gave you permission to sell my future.””
His mouth tightened.
“I made a mistake.””
“A mistake is prescribing the wrong medication. You helped three people attempt to strip a man of his legal rights.””
He looked toward Renee.
“What do you want?””
Renee answered before I could.
“We want a full written account of every communication, payment, and medical opinion concerning Mr. Carter. We also want confirmation that you will cooperate with the appropriate authorities.””
Dr. Voss swallowed.
“Daniel told me the family had already agreed. He said Arthur was deteriorating and that the court would appoint a guardian regardless.””
“Did he tell you who would receive the assets?”” I asked.
The doctor hesitated.
Then he reached into his medical bag.
He removed a folded sheet of paper.
“I brought this because I was worried.””
Renee took it.
The document contained a list of proposed payments.
Three large transfers were scheduled to occur immediately after the guardianship petition was approved.
One to Daniel.
One to Marcus.
One to Brielle.
But there was a fourth.
A payment of $2.4 million to Meridian Capital.
“What's this?”” I asked.
Dr. Voss looked down.
“Daniel said it was part of the arrangement.””
“What arrangement?””
“I don't know. He said the money would settle an outstanding obligation.””
Renee studied the page.
Then she looked at me.
“Arthur, this isn't just about inheritance.””
“What do you mean?””
She turned the paper around.
The final payment authorization contained a reference to an old insurance policy.
A policy I had purchased twenty years earlier.
A policy on Lorraine's life.
I remembered it immediately.
When Lorraine was diagnosed with cancer, I had arranged for the policy to be converted into a protected family benefit. It was supposed to provide financial security for the children if anything happened to both of us.
But Lorraine had insisted on changing the beneficiary structure before she died.
I had never questioned her.
Now I was beginning to understand why.
“Renee,” I said, “find the original policy.””
She nodded.
Dr. Voss stood again.
“I should leave.””
“Not yet.””
He stopped.
“There's one more thing you should know,” I continued.
“You're going to receive a call from my new medical team. Until then, you are no longer authorized to access my records.””
He nodded and left without another word.
The front door closed.
Renee remained beside the table, staring at the payment schedule.
“Arthur, we need to postpone the board meeting.””
“No.””
“Your children have a guardianship petition ready. If they present this to the board before we establish the full financial picture, they could create serious problems.””
“Then we'll give the board the full picture.””
She exhaled.
“There's something else.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She opened a second envelope.
Inside was a copy of a document dated three weeks before Lorraine died.
It was signed by my wife.
And beneath her signature was a handwritten instruction.
If Arthur ever discovers what happened to the insurance money, make sure he understands that I knew.
My stomach tightened.
“What happened to the money?””
Renee looked directly at me.
“Lorraine discovered that someone had withdrawn almost $6 million from the protected family account shortly before her death.””
I stared at her.
“Who?””
Renee turned the page.
There was a name.
A name I recognized.
My eldest son.
Daniel Carter.
But the next line was even worse.
It showed the date of the withdrawal.
It was the same day Lorraine had been admitted to the hospital.
May you like
And beside the transaction was a note in my wife's handwriting:
I know who did this. But I don't think Daniel acted alone.
