Chapter 20 - THE LAWYER BESIDE THE CHURCH DOORS
Carter arrived carrying a dark leather portfolio. He stood near the church doors where he could watch guests, security, and the street.
Priya greeted him as opposing counsel rather than family adviser.
“You no longer represent Lucas, Valeria, Elena, Mia, or the trust,” she said.
“A court will decide that.”
“The court already suspended you.”
Carter smiled. “Suspension is not disbarment.”
Inside his portfolio, a court-authorized scanner detected the revised spouse acknowledgment and a second document. The second granted Carter emergency custody authority over Mia based on a supposed psychiatric risk assessment.
The assessment bore the name of a clinician who had never met her.
Investigators wanted to arrest Carter immediately for presenting forged papers. Prosecutors chose to wait until he attempted use or provided an explanation; possession alone could invite a claim that Brooke assembled the portfolio without his knowledge.
Carter seemed to know he was watched. He never opened the folder.
Lucas stood at the top of the marble steps, greeting guests while scanning every child near the plaza. Wealthy acquaintances mistook his vigilance for nerves.
At eleven forty-seven, a flower truck blocked the view from the south corner. A small figure moved behind it.
Naomi saw brown hair and a gray hood.
Before she reached the truck, Brooke intercepted her with a false report that Mia had entered the basement.
May you like
Naomi lost ninety seconds.
When she returned, the figure had joined the crowd.
