Chapter 17 - THE DOCTOR WHO NEVER EXAMINED HER
Preston Vale admitted pretending to be Dr. Simon Keats.
He never entered the mansion.
Natalie sent him edited videos of Margaret.
She described symptoms.
Dominic prepared medical language.
Preston signed the reports.
For each one, he received five thousand dollars.
“Did you know she was being drugged?” Detective Shaw asked.
“I suspected.”
“Did you know she was locked away?”
“No.”
The lamp recording contradicted him.
His voice appeared during a call with Natalie.
Keep her sedated during the video assessment.
Preston changed his answer.
He admitted knowing.
The false reports declared Margaret incompetent.
They justified increased medication.
They also convinced Andrew not to question his mother’s growing silence.
At the guardianship hearing, Natalie’s attorney attempted to introduce the reports.
Dr. Rowan challenged them.
“No licensed physician performed these examinations.”
The judge examined Preston’s criminal statement.
Natalie’s argument weakened.
Then Dominic Voss was arrested in Savannah.
He had been hiding inside a rental property under another name.
Police recovered his laptop.
It contained draft emails written for Natalie to send Andrew.
Mom is sleeping.
Mom does not recognize the staff.
Mom became aggressive again.
Mom asked not to speak with you today.
Natalie did not invent each lie spontaneously.
She selected it from a prepared list.
Dominic’s laptop also contained a schedule of Andrew’s travel.
Beside every trip were instructions.
Increase dose.
Remove phone.
Cancel nurse.
Use rear room.
The final entry corresponded with Andrew’s London trip.
KEEP HER INSIDE UNTIL DEED RECORDS.
Andrew had returned three days early.
If he arrived on schedule, the mansion transfer would have been officially recorded.
Natalie could have ordered Margaret removed before he saw her.
The old storage room would have been cleaned.
The lock removed.
The lamp destroyed.
Andrew would have returned to an empty bedroom and a wife explaining that his mother needed professional care.
Dominic accepted a cooperation agreement.
He would testify against Natalie in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Natalie’s attorney called him a liar seeking freedom.
Dominic responded:
“I am a liar.”
Then he looked toward Natalie.
“But I learned from someone who believed every person had a price.”
Natalie’s face remained controlled.
Only her hand moved.
May you like
She touched the emerald fabric near her hip.
The same place Margaret remembered her gripping before every threat.
