Chapter 5 - The Legal Blade
The next morning, I left Sarah and Jamie sleeping in the secure suite of the Carlton and drove to the financial district of Bayside Heights. My target was the office of Arthur Pendelton, the senior partner at Pendelton & Associates, the legal firm that handled my trust and the power of attorney documents I had signed before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Arthur was an old family friend, a man who had known my father before he passed. But in this town, friendship was a commodity that had to be verified.
I walked into his office without an appointment. His secretary tried to stop me, but I pushed past her, throwing the heavy mahogany door open.
Arthur looked up from his desk, his glasses sliding down his nose. "Liam? My God, you're back. I didn't expect you until—"
"Save it, Arthur," I said, slamming my heavy leather travel folder onto his desk. "We have a problem. A very large, very expensive problem."
He gestured for his secretary to leave and close the door. He adjusted his glasses, his expression turning professional. "What's going on? Gertrude told me you were extending your contract for another three years."
"Gertrude is a thief," I said, sitting in the leather chair opposite him. "And she has been using my money to fund her personal lifestyle while keeping my wife and son in a state of near-starvation. I want her power of attorney revoked. Today. I want every account frozen, and I want a full forensic audit of every cent I have wired to this country over the past five years."
Arthur’s face turned pale. "Liam... that is a massive accusation. Gertrude has been presenting regular receipts, school tuition payments for Jamie, medical bills..."
"They are forged," I said, leaning forward, my gray eyes locking onto his. "My son has never set foot in the private school she claimed he was attending. He has no medical records for the past three years. My wife has been living in a concrete service kitchen behind my house. If you don't freeze those accounts within the next hour, Arthur, I am going to the federal prosecutors, and I will include your firm in the lawsuit for criminal negligence."
Arthur swallowed hard, his fingers instantly hovering over his keyboard. "I... I will initiate the freeze immediately, Liam. If what you are saying is true, this is a massive breach of fiduciary duty. But the house... the house is in Gertrude’s name."
I froze. "What did you say?"
"The deed," Arthur said, his voice trembling slightly. "Two years ago, a document was filed. A transfer of ownership. It was signed by you, notarized by our office. It transferred the title of the Bayside Heights estate to Gertrude Hartley as a 'gift' for her retirement."
A cold, dark fury settled in my stomach. "I never signed any such document, Arthur. I was in the middle of the Rub' al Khali desert two years ago. I didn't see a notary for eighteen months."
"Then it’s a forgery," Arthur whispered, his eyes wide with horror. "A felony forgery. If Gertrude used a fake notary... she’s looking at federal prison time."
"Good," I said, rising from my chair. "File the injunction. Freeze the accounts. And draft an eviction notice for the Bayside Heights estate. I want them out of that house by 5:00 PM today. If they are not out, I want the sheriff's deputies waiting at the gate to arrest them for trespassing and fraud."
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"Liam, she is your mother," Arthur pleaded.
"She ceased being my mother the moment she let my son eat garbage," I said, turning and walking out of the office. "She is just a criminal now."
