Chapter 8 - EVELYN NEEDED CHLOE TO LOOK UNSTABLEDr. Vincent Marsh’s records arrived under subpoena.
They were worse than Mason expected.
Chloe’s file contained diagnoses she had never been told.
“Severe mood dysregulation.”
“Paranoid ideation.”
“Medication noncompliance.”
“Potential self-harm risk.”
Mason read each line with increasing disbelief.
Hannah Cole reviewed independently.
“These notes are clinically thin.”
“What does that mean?”
“Major conclusions without documented assessment.”
“No standardized evaluation.”
“No private adolescent interview.”
“Repeated reliance on guardian report.”
Rebecca asked:
“Could doctor diagnose based solely on Evelyn?”
“He can consider caregiver observations.”
“But not like this responsibly.”
Chloe’s records described incidents that never happened.
Broken window.
Threatening Oliver.
Running into traffic.
Destroying furniture.
Mason asked Chloe one by one.
“No.”
“No.”
“No.”
She laughed bitterly.
“I broke a plate once.”
Oliver added:
“It slipped.”
Chloe glared.
“Traitor.”
First light moment.
Then Hannah found prescription entry.
A sedating medication had indeed been prescribed to Chloe at low dose six months earlier.
But bottle in kitchen belonged to Evelyn.
Meaning there were at least two medication streams.
“Did you ever see your own prescription?” Mason asked.
Chloe shook head.
“Evelyn gave me pills from different bottles.”
“Sometimes half.”
“Sometimes two.”
Mason felt sick.
Hannah explained no need to speculate exact effects without toxicology/history.
But poor medication management itself concerning.
More disturbing: Marsh’s notes claimed Chloe improved when “compliant.”
That created paper trail:
medication = stable.
refusal = dangerous.
Exactly what Evelyn needed.
Detective Kim interviewed Marsh.
He initially defended.
“Mrs. Reed reported serious behavior.”
“Chloe was resistant to treatment.”
“Did you meet with Chloe alone?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Guardian preferred presence.”
“She was sixteen.”
“Yes.”
“Did you verify incidents?”
“That’s not always possible.”
“Did you know Evelyn was giving her personal medication?”
“No.”
His lawyer ended interview.
Mason wanted confront.
Didn’t.
Instead investigators dug finances.
Dr. Marsh had received consulting payments from Reed Family Wellness LLC.
Mason had never heard.
Company created by Evelyn after Jonathan’s death.
Purpose: family health management.
Payments totaling $48,000 over twelve months.
Rebecca stared.
“For what?”
Invoices:
home care planning.
behavioral consultation.
guardianship assessments.
Mason laughed without humor.
“She paid him to say Chloe needed guardian.”
Potential conflict.
Not automatically illegal.
But undisclosed.
Elaine Porter, trustee, had reimbursed some invoices after Evelyn submitted as child health expense.
When informed, Elaine looked furious.
“We would never approve if we knew physician was serving as paid guardianship consultant for proposed guardian.”
Funds frozen.
Evelyn’s attorney claimed legitimate.
The story still needed proof of intent.
Then Mason found something in father’s email backup.
Evelyn emailed Jonathan months before death:
Chloe needs stricter management. Mason undermines me by always siding with her.
Jonathan replied:
Mason is her brother, not obstacle. Stop treating sibling bond like problem.
Mason stared.
Evelyn had seen him as obstacle before Jonathan died.
After death, she removed obstacle.
Work contract.
Could she have influenced?
Too early to know.
Chloe sat beside him.
“Can I read?”
He hesitated.
Then showed.
She smiled faintly.
“Dad defended you.”
“Us.”
“Yeah.”
Then she said:
“Evelyn always hated when Dad listened to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I said she was too strict, Dad would tell her back off.”
“After he died, nobody told her.”
Mason felt guilt again.
Chloe noticed.
“Don’t make face.”
“What face?”
“Guilty face.”
“I am guilty.”
“You were gone.”
“That’s not same as doing it.”
She repeated something he told her.
Mason looked.
She shrugged.
“I listen sometimes.”
Progress.
That evening a certified letter arrived from Evelyn’s counsel.
Demanding access to mansion.
Claiming unlawful exclusion.
Accusing Mason of manipulating children for trust funds.
There it was.
Projection.
Mason’s attorney responded.
No direct contact.
Temporary protection order in place.
Evelyn could retrieve belongings supervised.
Next morning she came with deputy and lawyer.
Chloe and Oliver stayed upstairs by choice.
Mason remained downstairs with Rebecca.
Evelyn walked through foyer like queen displaced.
She looked at Mason.
“You think you won?”
Rebecca:
“Do not engage.”
Evelyn smiled.
“This house is mine.”
Mason said:
“No.”
“It belonged to Dad.”
“Now estate terms control it.”
She stepped closer.
“You have no idea what Chloe is like when you’re gone.”
Mason answered:
“I know what your records say.”
For first time Evelyn’s face changed.
“What records?”
“Dr. Marsh.”
She recovered.
“Good.”
“Then you’ll understand.”
Mason:
“I understand you paid him.”
Silence.
Evelyn’s lawyer intervened.
“Mrs. Reed, don’t respond.”
Mason saw fear.
Small.
But real.
As Evelyn walked upstairs under supervision, Chloe stood hidden behind bedroom door.
She heard footsteps.
Her breathing accelerated.
Mason came up.
“Want me to stay?”
“Yes.”
They sat floor until Evelyn left.
After door closed, Chloe whispered:
“She’s scared.”
“What?”
“You said she paid doctor.”
“She looked scared.”
Mason nodded.
“Yes.”
Chloe’s expression changed.
For first time, fear was not one-directional.
May you like
Evelyn had spent months constructing Chloe as unstable.
Now her own paperwork was becoming evidence against her.
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