Chapter 4 - The Arrest Warrant
Three police officers entered the estate.
Detective Maria Reyes came with them.
She was calm, professional, and clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Nathan met them in the foyer.
Grace stood behind him.
Lily remained upstairs.
Victoria stood at the bottom of the staircase.
Detective Reyes held out the warrant.
“Nathan, I need you to understand this isn’t optional.”
Nathan read the first page.
Grace Bennett.
Kidnapping.
Fraud.
Risk of flight.
He looked at the attached documents.
There were signatures.
Hospital records.
Travel reservations.
A copy of a birth certificate naming a man named Aaron Blake as Lily’s father.
Grace whispered.
“I don’t know anyone named Aaron Blake.”
Reyes looked at her.
“The state believes otherwise.”
Nathan handed the papers back.
“My attorney is arriving.”
“I’ll give you five minutes.”
Victoria walked closer.
“Nathan, stop making this worse.”
He stared at her.
“For who?”
“For Lily.”
Grace laughed softly.
“You weren’t concerned about Lily ten minutes ago.”
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“I was trying to protect this family from a fraud.”
“By hitting me?”
“You attacked me first.”
Nathan stepped between them.
“Enough.”
The front door opened.
Daniel Mercer entered carrying a leather briefcase.
He was fifty-two, silver-haired, and had worked for the Cole family for nearly twenty years.
He glanced at Grace.
Then Victoria.
Then the officers.
“Nathan.”
“You know about this?”
“I learned thirty minutes ago.”
Daniel asked to see the warrant.
He read quickly.
Then stopped.
“This judge’s signature.”
Reyes nodded.
“What about it?”
Daniel pointed.
“Judge Ellison retired six months ago.”
The detective frowned.
“He still signs emergency orders as a senior judge.”
Daniel looked closer.
“Not with this seal.”
Silence filled the foyer.
Reyes took the document back.
Daniel opened his briefcase.
He removed a folder.
“My office has copies of Cole Meridian legal filings from the last decade.”
He placed two official documents side by side.
The seals were different.
Reyes’ expression changed.
Victoria stepped forward.
“This is ridiculous.”
Daniel ignored her.
“Detective, before you remove a child based on these records, I suggest verifying them directly.”
Reyes stepped aside and made a call.
Nathan noticed Victoria watching the front door.
Planning an exit.
He moved closer.
“You’re staying.”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
“You do in my house.”
Her eyes flashed.
Reyes ended the call.
“The warrant is valid.”
Grace’s shoulders dropped.
Then Reyes added.
“But the supporting hospital report isn’t.”
Everyone stared.
“The hospital has no record of Grace Bennett receiving psychiatric treatment.”
Nathan slowly turned toward Victoria.
Reyes continued.
“And the airline just confirmed those Mexico City tickets were purchased forty-three minutes ago.”
Grace had been inside Nathan’s kitchen forty-three minutes ago.
Reyes looked toward Victoria.
“Who had access to Ms. Bennett’s identification?”
Grace whispered.
“My employee file.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
Cole Meridian kept copies of every employee’s passport and identification in corporate records.
Only senior executives and legal personnel could access them.
Nathan opened his eyes.
“Daniel.”
“Yes?”
“Find out who opened Grace’s file.”
Daniel nodded.
Victoria reached for her phone.
Nathan moved first.
He held out his hand.
“Give it to Detective Reyes.”
Victoria’s face changed.
May you like
“No.”
And that single word told everyone in the room they were finally looking in the right direction.
