Chapter 3 - The Midnight Ally and the Secret Proxy
The house was hauntingly quiet as I picked up my phone to make the one call they never saw coming.
I didn't call the local police, and I didn't dial our family attorney, who had been on Lorraine’s payroll for over a decade.
I dialed a private satellite line that connected directly to a high-rise office in downtown Manhattan.
"Arthur," I said quietly, my voice level despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. "They did it. They completely drained the Seattle bridge fund."
Arthur Vance was the primary legal custodian of my father-in-law's original trust, a retired federal prosecutor who had spent thirty years protecting the corporate foundation.
"Audrey?" Arthur’s voice dropped into a stern, protective register. "Are you safe? Where is Micah?"
"He's upstairs with me," I whispered, looking toward the small armchair where my son was finally sleeping under my cardigan. "He isn't standing, Arthur. He isn't speaking. They've been keeping him isolated in the living room while they raise Sabrina's child like royalty."
The line went completely silent for three agonizing seconds, the gravity of the elder abuse and corporate fraud settling into the connection.
"I am executing the emergency trustee proxy right now, Audrey," Arthur said, his tone turning into an iron blade.
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"By 8:00 tomorrow morning, every corporate credit card, every vehicle lease, and every bank account carrying the Keller Northstar name will be frozen pending a federal audit."
"They wanted to rewrite the story while you were away," he added. "Now, we are going to close the book entirely."
