Chapter 8: What Linda Did Next
Margaret filed an emergency motion on Monday.
By Tuesday afternoon, a judge had ordered a forensic accounting of Carter Construction and a temporary freeze on all business accounts pending review.
Daniel's attorney called Margaret twice before noon.
She let both calls go to voicemail.
I was at a prenatal appointment when she texted me: *Motion granted.
Freeze in place.*
I sat in the waiting room with that message on my screen and felt something loosen in my chest that had been tight for weeks.
The doctor called me in.
My daughter's heartbeat was strong and steady — one hundred and fifty-two beats per minute, the technician said, pointing at the monitor.
I watched the small flickering pulse and thought: she has no idea what the last two months have been.
She has only that.
One hundred and fifty-two certain beats per minute.
I drove home in the early afternoon.
Daniel's truck was not in the driveway.
He had been staying in the guest room, moving through the house in careful silence, speaking to me only when necessary.
His attorney had advised him not to discuss the case.
He followed that advice with the same obedience he had always shown when someone with authority told him what to do.
I had just set my bag down when the doorbell rang.
I opened it.
Linda stood on the step.
Behind her, slightly to the left, was a man I didn't recognize — mid-fifties, jacket and tie, carrying a leather folder.
"This is Gerald Watts," Linda said.
"He's a mediator.
I've asked him to help us resolve this privately, before it goes any further."
I looked at Gerald Watts.
He gave me a careful, professional smile.
"Mrs.
Carter, I understand this is a difficult time.
I've worked with both families in situations like—"
"Linda hired you?" I asked him.
"I was contacted by—"
"Did Daniel's attorney arrange this?"
A pause.
"I was contacted by Mrs.
Carter Senior, yes."
I looked at Linda.
"Daniel's attorney knows about the freeze," I said.
"This is your response to the freeze."
"Emma, be reasonable—"
"You drove to my house unannounced with a mediator you hired, without contacting my attorney, two days after a judge granted an emergency motion against your son." I kept the door where it was.
"That is not mediation.
That is pressure."
"I am trying to protect this family—"
"You moved money out of my account into an LLC with your nephew.
You've been doing it for eighteen months." My voice didn't rise.
"There is nothing to mediate, Linda.
There is only what the court decides."
Gerald Watts took a small step back.
Linda's expression shifted.
The composed version of her — the one she wore for other people — fell away completely.
"You think you're untouchable," she said.
"You think because you have some attorney and some land that you've won something.
But I have been protecting this family for thirty years.
I know things about how this town works, about who knows who, about what happens to women who make enemies of the wrong people—"
"Is that a threat?"
She stopped.
"Because Margaret will want to know if it is," I said.
"She's been very thorough about documenting everything."
Gerald Watts cleared his throat quietly.
He had taken another step back.
He was now standing on the path, not the step.
Linda looked at him.
Then back at me.
"This isn't over," she said.
"I know," I said.
"That's what court is for."
I closed the door.
I stood in the hallway and listened to the sound of the car leaving.
Then I called Margaret.
"Linda just showed up with a hired mediator," I said.
"No notice, no coordination with you."
"Unbelievable," Margaret said flatly.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes.
She made a comment that could be read as a threat.
I want it in the file."
"Tell me exactly what she said."
I told her.
"That's going in," Margaret said.
"Emma — the forensic accountant starts Thursday.
If Daniel manipulated those valuations, we'll have it within two weeks."
"And if he did?"
May you like
"Then we're not just looking at divorce proceedings anymore," she said.
"We're looking at crjminal fraud referral."
