Chapter 6: The Race Downtown
Clara and Sarah burst out of the Maplewood Care Center doors into the cool evening air, rushing toward Clara’s sedan. The sky overhead was bruised with shades of violet and deep grey, matching the tension knotting in Clara’s chest. She unlocked the doors with her key fob, slid into the driver’s seat, and slammed the door shut.
“Downtown traffic is going to be terrible at this hour,” Sarah noted as she buckled her seatbelt. “Are we calling the police first or heading straight to the private clinic?”
“Both,” Clara said, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. She dialed 911 on her Bluetooth system while putting the car in reverse. After a brief automated prompt, a dispatcher answered. Clara gave her name, reported a fraudulent medical transfer involving an incapacitated senior citizen, and requested an officer meet her at the downtown neurological research facility immediately.
As Clara navigated through the thickening city traffic, her thoughts drifted back to Lily. Her mother had used an innocent child as a decoy, a pawn in a cold, calculated financial scheme. The thought made Clara feel physically ill. How long had Evelyn been planning this? Ever since Arthur’s stroke six months ago, Evelyn had managed every aspect of his estate visits, slowly squeezing Clara out of daily contact by claiming Arthur was too tired or emotional to see visitors.
“She’s desperate, Clara,” Sarah said gently, breaking the heavy silence in the car. “People don’t forge legal documents and pull stunts like this unless they’re hiding a massive financial shortfall or trying to liquidate assets before someone discovers what they’ve done.”
“Dad’s real estate holdings and investment accounts are substantial,” Clara replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the taillights ahead. “Evelyn always complained that my father’s will left the primary property to me and the trust fund split equally. She wanted complete control of the primary portfolio years ago, but Dad refused to change his will.”
“And now, with him incapacitated, she thinks she can rewrite reality,” Sarah added grimly.
They pulled up outside the imposing glass-and-steel facade of the downtown neurological facility twenty minutes later. A flashing police cruiser was already parked near the entrance, its red and blue lights painting the concrete in rhythmic flashes. Clara parked illegally near the curb, killed the engine, and rushed out of the car with Sarah right behind her.
A uniformed police officer was speaking with the security guard at the front desk inside the brightly lit lobby. Clara hurried over, flashing her identification card.
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“Officer, I’m Clara Hayes. This is my father, Arthur Henderson. He was illegally transferred here under forged documents by my mother, Evelyn Sterling.”
The officer, a seasoned sergeant with a kind yet weary expression, nodded. “We spoke to the front desk. They admitted an elderly male matching your father’s description about fifteen minutes ago. Mrs. Sterling is currently on the third floor in the administrative suite.”
