Chapter 4 - THE LEGAL COUNTERSTRIKE
The rain hammered against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Maya Chen’s top-floor office suite. Maya flipped through the Nevada trust documents Jennifer had provided, her sharp eyes scanning every line of transaction history.
"This is breathtaking," Maya said, a cold, ruthless smile spreading across her lips. "It’s not just civil fraud; it’s tax evasion and perjury."
"How bad is it for her?" I asked, sitting across from her with a hot mug of coffee in my hands.
"If we submit these documents to the IRS and the state Department of Revenue, Barbara faces a full forensic audit, massive tax penalties, and potential criminal charges for fraudulent benefit claims," Maya explained. "She applied for state-subsidized senior housing and low-income medical assistance three years ago while hiding over three hundred grand in an offshore account."
"And her complaint against me with adult protective services?"
Maya waved her hand dismissively. "A joke. I’ve already spoken to the caseworker assigned to the file. I provided copies of Leah’s unsealed letter, your three years of voluntary payments totaling over one hundred and forty thousand dollars, and the bank statements proving you funded her lifestyle out of pure charity. The caseworker closed the file two hours ago with a note suggesting Barbara be evaluated for malicious filing."
"She won't stop, Maya," I said, leaning back. "She’s like a cornered animal now. She tried to ruin my family, she’s ruining Tom’s marriage, and she tried to bring social services to my door."
"Then we stop playing defense," Maya said, reaching for a clean yellow legal pad. "We hit her with a three-pronged counterstrike."
"Tell me."
"First, we file an immediate Emergency Petition for a Civil Harassment Restraining Order to protect you and Ellie. Second, we hand these Nevada trust documents directly to the state tax fraud division. Third, we execute a formal demand for the immediate return of the vehicle titled in your name, along with a demand for restitution of the money she fraudulently obtained under false pretenses regarding her solvency."
"Will she fight it?"
"She can't afford to fight it," Maya chuckled. "The moment she hires a lawyer, that lawyer will read these trust documents and tell her that if she goes into a courtroom, she’ll leave it in handcuffs. She relied on your guilt, Derek. She relied on the fact that you were a grieving widower who would do anything to keep Leah’s memory untarnished. But now that Leah’s real voice has been heard, Barbara has no armor left."
My phone chimed on the desk. It was an email notification from Ellie’s elementary school principal.
My heart plummeted. I picked up the phone and read the subject line: Unscheduled Visitor - Eleanor Miller.
"Maya," I said, my voice dropping to an icy octave. "She went to Ellie’s school."
Maya stood up instantly, grabbing her suit jacket. "Did she try to take her?"
May you like
"The email says she showed up at the front office during lunch recess claiming there was a family emergency and demanding to pick Ellie up," I read, my hands shaking with pure rage. "The school office flagged her because her name isn't on the emergency contact list and called the campus resource officer."
"Let's go," Maya said, snatching her briefcase. "We are serving her with the temporary emergency order today."
