Chapter 4 - The psychiatrist who had been dead for eleven months
Arthur had spent four months dismantling Richard’s psychiatric narrative.
One document at a time.
The first report carried Dr. Leonard Price’s electronic signature.
But Dr. Price had already died.
The second contained metadata showing it had been created on a laptop registered to a consulting company linked to Richard.
The third supposedly documented an emergency psychiatric evaluation at a clinic where I had never been a patient.
Arthur produced a sworn statement from the clinic administrator.
No record existed.
Richard interrupted.
“She used aliases!”
Judge Hayes stared at him.
“Mr. Vance, your attorney will speak for you.”
His attorney whispered urgently into his ear.
Richard ignored him.
“She’s manipulating everyone!”
Arthur continued.
“Then perhaps Mr. Vance can explain the signatures.”
A forensic document examiner had compared them.
Several of my supposed signatures contained identical digital artifacts.
Not merely similar handwriting.
Identical image fragments.
Copied.
Pasted.
Resized.
Richard’s lawyer stopped taking notes.
Chloe had become perfectly still.
Then Arthur turned to her.
“Ms. Mercer.”
She swallowed.
“What?”
“That necklace.”
Her hand immediately covered it.
“Where did you obtain it?”
“Richard gave it to me.”
“When?”
“I don’t remember.”
Richard whispered:
“Don’t answer.”
Arthur looked toward Judge Hayes.
“Your Honor, the necklace belonged to Mrs. Vance’s late grandmother and was reported missing from a locked safe approximately fourteen months ago.”
Chloe shook her head.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
“I didn’t say you did.”
That frightened her more.
Arthur opened another digital record.
The mansion security system showed the safe being accessed at 2:13 a.m.
Richard’s credentials.
Then the bedroom corridor camera had been disabled.
For precisely eleven minutes.
When it returned, Richard was visible carrying something small in his hand.
Judge Hayes looked at the necklace.
Then at Richard.
Richard looked at Chloe.
And Chloe finally understood something I had known for months.
Richard had not given her a romantic gift.
He had given her stolen property.
Then Arthur asked:
“Mrs. Vance, why is that necklace particularly important?”
I looked at Richard.
“Because the night he took it was also the night he believed he permanently disabled the camera outside my study.”
Richard’s eyes widened.
May you like
Arthur clicked another folder.
And a new video began loading.
