Chapter 10 - The Signature That Wasn't Mine
My name was written at the bottom of a medical document I'd never seen.
DANTE COLE.
The signature looked convincing.
The same sharp D.
The same long underline.
The same initials I'd used on thousands of business contracts.
But I had never signed it.
The document appeared to authorize a change to Claire's treatment plan.
A change she had expressly questioned.
I stared at the page.
"Who submitted this?"
Gabriel looked toward the investigator.
"According to the record, Dr. Evelyn Hart."
I closed my eyes.
Vanessa's sister.
Richard's daughter.
A physician whose family had been stealing from Claire's foundation.
The pieces were beginning to fit together.
But the truth was still incomplete.
And I wasn't going to let anger replace evidence.
The investigators examined the document and compared it with known signatures.
A forensic specialist identified inconsistencies.
Meanwhile, the hospital's archived electronic records showed the authorization had been uploaded from an account associated with Hartwell Clinical Services.
The same company that paid Helen Price.
The investigator looked at me.
"Mr. Cole, we believe this is important evidence of document fraud."
I leaned forward.
"And Claire?"
He hesitated.
"The medical review is ongoing. We can't yet say what effect the unauthorized change had on her outcome."
I nodded slowly.
That uncertainty was torture.
But I'd spent too many years acting before I understood what had happened.
This time, I would wait for facts.
Then something unexpected occurred.
Grace received a letter.
No return address.
Inside was a photograph of Claire standing beside a hospital nursery.
On the back, someone had written:
She knew who was protecting the baby.
Grace stared at it.
Her expression changed.
"Where did this come from?"
I looked at her.
"What?"
She pointed toward the photograph.
"That's me."
I leaned closer.
In the background stood a young nursing student.
Grace.
The image had been taken the week before Noah was born.
I frowned.
"You were there?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
Then she looked toward the bottom corner.
A shadowy figure stood near the doorway.
I recognized him.
Gabriel Torres.
My head of security.
My stomach tightened.
"Why was Gabriel at the hospital?"
Grace looked confused.
"I don't know."
I called him immediately.
He entered the study ten minutes later.
I placed the photograph on the desk.
"Explain."
Gabriel studied it.
Then went pale.
"Boss, I can explain."
"Please do."
He took a slow breath.
"Claire asked me to watch the nursery."
My chest tightened.
"Why?"
Gabriel looked toward Grace.
Then back at me.
"She believed someone might try to take Noah."
I stared.
"What?"
He nodded.
"She'd received threats."
"From whom?"
Gabriel hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Vanessa Hart."
I went completely still.
May you like
Vanessa had been threatening my wife before I'd even met her.
And according to Gabriel, Claire had recorded one of those threats.
