Chapter 4 - Thomas Keene Said It Was Only a DraftThomas Keene arrived at Beth’s office the next afternoon.
He looked offended.
That bothered Reid immediately.
Not frightened.
Not ashamed.
Offended.
“I resent being treated like a criminal.”
Beth placed the blue folder on the conference table.
“Then this should be easy.”
Thomas glanced down.
His expression barely changed.
“You recognize it?”
“I recognize our formatting.”
“Did your firm prepare it?”
“A draft may have been generated.”
Reid leaned forward.
“A draft with my forged signature?”
Thomas looked at him.
“I did not forge your signature.”
“Who did?”
“I don’t know.”
“You drafted a petition to remove my parental authority and didn’t think to mention it?”
Thomas sighed.
“Reid, families prepare contingency documents all the time.”
“Not mine.”
“Nolan expressed concern.”
There it was.
Reid stared.
“What concern?”
“That you were overwhelmed.”
“Because my wife died?”
“Yes.”
“That is called grief.”
Thomas lifted a hand.
“Nobody is judging grief.”
“You drafted a petition calling me emotionally unstable.”
“It was an exploratory legal draft.”
Beth interrupted.
“Exploratory filings generally don’t include fabricated notarizations.”
Thomas looked at her.
“As I said, I did not create those.”
“Who had the editable file?”
“Myself. Two associates. A paralegal.”
“Nolan?”
“No.”
“Mavis?”
“No.”
“Dana Holloway?”
Thomas hesitated.
Beth saw it.
“Dana had access.”
“To coordinate supporting records.”
Reid laughed once.
“Supporting records.”
Thomas nodded reluctantly.
“Nolan believed a temporary guardianship might be necessary if your condition deteriorated.”
“My condition.”
“Reid—”
“I went to grief counseling twice a week for three months. I reduced work. I hired help. I never missed a pediatric appointment until Mavis started canceling them.”
Thomas frowned.
“What?”
Reid stared.
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
“Did you know Mavis photographed my children to manufacture evidence?”
Thomas looked genuinely surprised.
“Manufacture?”
“Did you know she hit Evan yesterday?”
His face changed.
“No.”
“Camera recorded it.”
Thomas leaned back.
That was the first moment he seemed shaken.
Reid watched carefully.
Maybe Thomas had helped prepare a guardianship plan.
Maybe he had not known how far Mavis would go.
That did not make him innocent.
Beth slid another paper over.
“Why is Nolan named successor voting proxy?”
Thomas looked at it.
“That provision comes from the trust.”
“No,” Beth said.
Thomas looked up.
“The original trust names an independent fiduciary if Reid becomes unavailable.”
Silence.
Reid stared.
“What?”
Beth had compared the copy in the blue folder with a certified copy held at the trust company.
The language differed.
Original:
If a parent or acting guardian is unable to serve, voting authority shall pass to an independent fiduciary appointed by the trust protector.
Blue-folder version:
Voting authority shall pass to the then-serving family guardian, with Nolan Everett Mercer designated first successor.
Reid felt cold.
“Someone changed my father’s trust.”
Thomas’s face went pale.
“That isn’t possible.”
Beth leaned forward.
“You drafted the original.”
“Yes.”
“Then you know this clause is wrong.”
Thomas stared at the page.
“Yes.”
“Who created this version?”
“I don’t know.”
“Try harder.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“The trust was amended twice.”
“Did either amendment change this?”
“No.”
“Then why does this document carry your firm’s footer?”
Thomas looked trapped.
Finally:
“Because our database contains old working versions.”
Beth’s eyes narrowed.
“Old version with Nolan’s name?”
Thomas didn’t answer.
Reid stood.
“You knew.”
“No.”
“You knew Nolan wanted control.”
“I knew he was worried about the company.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
Thomas’s voice sharpened.
“The company employs four thousand people. The private-equity offer expires in September. Nolan believed you were blocking it because you were emotionally attached to your father’s legacy.”
“I blocked it because they plan to cut plants and sell assets.”
“That is your interpretation.”
“It is in their restructuring model.”
Thomas sighed.
“Your father’s company is losing market share.”
“So this is about the sale.”
“I said Nolan was concerned.”
“And your answer was to help take my children.”
“No.”
Thomas stood.
“My answer was to prepare a legal contingency if you became unable to serve.”
Reid looked at him.
“You prepared the weapon.”
Silence.
“Maybe you didn’t pull the trigger.”
Reid tapped the forged signature.
“But you handed them the loaded file.”
Thomas’s face tightened.
Beth asked one final question.
“Who asked you to prepare the first draft?”
Thomas looked toward the window.
“Nolan.”
Reid expected that.
Then Thomas added:
“But he wasn’t the first person to ask about Reid’s guardianship rights.”
Reid froze.
“Who was?”
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
“Nora.”
Reid stopped breathing.
“My wife?”
“Six weeks before she died.”
Reid stared.
“Why would Nora ask how someone could remove my parental authority?”
Thomas answered:
“She didn’t ask how to remove it.”
May you like
He paused.
“She asked how to stop Mavis from trying.”
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