Chapter 4 - THE CRIMINAL TRAIL
The Newport Beach Police Department was quiet at nine in the morning, save for the hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional clink of handcuffs.
I sat in a small conference room, holding a paper cup of lukewarm coffee. Maya sat beside me, her legal brief open and ready. Across the table sat Detective Raymond Vance, a gruff, sharp-eyed investigator who looked like he had spent the last twenty-four hours surviving entirely on caffeine.
“Mrs. Ashford,” Detective Vance began, opening a manila folder. “I appreciate you coming in. I know this has been a traumatic experience. I want to give you an update on where the investigation stands.”
“Is Julian in custody?” I asked.
“He is,” Vance nodded. “We picked him up at his apartment late last night. Initially, he denied everything, claiming his car was stolen or that someone else must have used his corporate account. But we executed a search warrant on his personal phone and laptop early this morning.”
Vance slid a printout across the table. It was a series of encrypted text messages between Julian and an contact saved simply as “M.”
“The technician agreed to the terms,” one message from Julian read. “50k upfront, another 50k when the report drops. Make sure the output says 0% compatibility. Ethan needs to see it black on white.”
The reply from ‘M’ made my blood run cold: “Good. Make sure the family is present when he opens it. Claire needs to be completely discredited before she can seek legal counsel. If she leaves under a cloud of infidelity, she won't get a dime in a divorce settlement.”
“M,” I whispered, looking at Maya. “Helena. Her middle name is Margaret, but everyone in her social circle calls her Madam M.”
“We suspect the same,” Detective Vance said. “But right now, Julian is refusing to implicate his mother. He’s taking the fall, claiming he acted entirely alone out of 'concern for his brother's financial future.' However, the financial trail tells a different story. The initial $50,000 wire transfer to the lab technician didn’t come from Julian’s account. It originated from an offshore trust controlled jointly by Julian and Helena Ashford.”
“Then you can arrest her too,” Maya pressed, leaning forward. “This is a conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and emotional abuse of a minor. They used a falsified medical document to attempt to strip a child of her legal rights.”
“We’re working on the warrant for the mother,” Vance admitted. “But the Ashford lawyers are already swarming. They’ve brought in a high-powered defense team from Los Angeles. They’re trying to argue that this was a 'family dispute' and that the DNA company’s internal security breach shouldn’t be admissible in a criminal court.”
The door to the conference room opened slightly, and an officer poked his head in. “Detective Vance? Ethan Ashford is in the lobby. He’s demanding to speak with his wife. He brought his own legal counsel, but he says he’s not here to fight the charges—he wants to provide state's evidence.”
I stiffened. Maya immediately stood up. “My client has a temporary restraining order pending. Mr. Ashford has no right to be near her.”
“Wait,” I said, placing a hand on Maya’s arm. “Let him come in. But only him. No lawyers. No family.”
Maya looked at me, worried. “Claire, you don’t have to do this.”
“I need to look him in the eye, Maya. One last time.”
A few minutes later, the door opened, and Ethan walked in. He looked completely destroyed. His hair was messy, his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, and his expensive suit jacket was gone, his shirt wrinkled and stained with coffee. He looked like a ghost of the man I had married.
He stopped at the edge of the table, his eyes locking onto mine. “Claire...”
I didn’t stand up. I didn’t smile. I just looked at him, my expression blank. “What do you want, Ethan?”
“I brought this,” he said, his voice trembling as he placed a heavy leather-bound ledger and a flash drive on the table. “It’s the complete financial history of my mother’s private foundation. I found it in the mansion’s study this morning. I bypassed her security encryption. It contains the exact transaction record for the second half of the bribe paid to the technician. Julian didn't do this alone. It was my mother’s plan from the very beginning.”
I looked at the flash drive, then back at his face. “Why are you giving this to the police, Ethan? She’s your mother.”
“Because she tried to destroy my wife and my daughter,” Ethan said, a tear finally breaking free and rolling down his cheek. “And because I was a coward. I let them poison my mind, Claire. For months, my mother kept whispering things in my ear... saying you were distant, saying you were staying late at the hospital with other men. I didn't want to believe her, but when she handed me that report... I panicked. I lost my mind.”
He dropped to his knees right there on the linoleum floor of the police station, reaching out to grasp my hand. “Please, Claire. I’ll do anything. I’ll testify against them. I’ll cut them out of my life forever. Just come home. Let us be a family again.”
May you like
I slowly pulled my hand away from his grip, leaving him holding empty air.
“You still don't get it, Ethan,” I said softly. “You think the problem is your mother and your brother. But the problem is you. You didn't believe in me. And you can't fix a broken heart with state's evidence.”
