Chapter 6 - THE TRAP IS SPRUNG
The next two weeks passed in a blur of intense preparation, medical checkups, and sweet, quiet moments with Lily.
My energy levels soared to heights I hadn't felt since my early twenties. With my heart pumping a steady stream of oxygenated blood through my veins, the crippling brain fog, lethargy, and dizzy spells completely vanished. I spent my mornings running through the park with Lily and my evenings helping Sarah build an airtight evidentiary mountain for our trial.
Aaron visited us every few days, bringing fresh groceries, helping fix a broken latch on Laura’s front gate, or simply sitting on the porch talking with me as the sun set. I learned that he had lost his younger brother to cancer two years prior, which was why he was so fiercely protective of families fighting against injustice.
There was a quiet, noble strength in him that made me feel completely grounded.
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Sarah called me into her downtown office.
"Daniel’s attorney just hit the panic button," Sarah said, motioning for me to take a seat. "They know they’re going to get slaughtered in court next week. So, Daniel is trying one last, pathetic maneuver."
"What is he doing?"
"He called me directly, bypassing his lawyer, claiming he wants to meet you privately at a coffee shop downtown to 'hand over the stolen trust deeds' and sign a full custody agreement without going through trial."
I narrowed my eyes. "Daniel never gives up without a fight. It’s a trap."
"Of course it’s a trap," Sarah agreed with a wicked smile. "He wants to get you alone without counsel so he can record you saying something he can twist, or intimidate you into signing an un-notarized waiver."
"So what do we do?"
"We walk right into his trap," a deep voice said from the doorway.
Colonel Aaron Carter walked in, wearing his dark blue rain coat, holding two cups of hot coffee. He set one in front of me and leaned against Sarah's desk.
"We outfit you with a concealed body wire and a hidden micro-camera," Aaron said, his dark eyes glittering with cold calculation. "Let Daniel think he has you isolated. Let him spill every bitter, arrogant thought in his head on digital tape."
"Is that legal?" I asked.
"In this state, one-party consent applies to conversations held in public spaces," Sarah confirmed. "If Daniel threatens you, tries to bribe you, or admits to hiding assets, it will be fully admissible in front of Judge Hanley on Monday morning."
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I looked at Aaron, then at Sarah. The old, terrified Clara who used to shrink away from Daniel's anger was long dead. In her place stood a mother with a fixed heart and an unbreakable spirit.
"Fit me for the wire," I said.
