Chapter 6: The Fourth Person
Doyle Fitch's client list had forty-one names on it.
Grace's paralegal pulled it by noon.
By 1 p.m., Grace had cross-referenced it against every name connected to Brendan's family, his business dealings, and his social circle going back five years.
Thirty-nine names were clean.
One name flagged immediately: a property development firm called Sable Meridian, incorporated three years ago, which shared a registered address with a company that had twice attempted to acquire a minority stake in Harlen Group through intermediary buyers — both attempts blocked by Cassidy's legal team before they reached the board.
The forty-first name made Grace call Cassidy directly.
"The last client on Fitch's list," Grace said.
"Registered eighteen months ago.
A private individual.
The name on the retainer agreement is Eleanor Marsh."
Cassidy was at her desk.
She set down her pen.
"Brendan's mother hired Fitch before Marcus approached him," Grace said.
"She was the origin point, Cassidy.
Not Brendan.
Not Marcus.
Eleanor."
The room was very quiet.
"She came to Fitch first," Grace continued.
"The psychiatric evaluation template, the trust structure concept, the shell company — all of it traces back to a strategy session between Eleanor and Fitch fourteen months before Marcus was brought in."
"She recruited Marcus," Cassidy said.
"That's what the timeline suggests.
He didn't approach Brendan's family.
They approached him."
Cassidy stood up.
She walked to her window — the same view she had looked at for six years, the city below her, the glass towers catching the afternoon light.
"She planned this before the divorce," Cassidy said.
"Yes."
"She planned this while I was still married to her son."
"Yes."
Cassidy was quiet for a moment.
"Grace.
The account Eleanor opened in my daughter's name.
What bank?"
"Meridian Private.
A subsidiary of—"
"Sable Meridian."
"Yes."
Cassidy turned from the window.
"They were going to use my daughter's legal name — a name that only appears on sealed prenatal documents — to open a financial account, build a trust structure, and establish a paper trail that made it look like I had consented to Brendan's guardianship role." She said it slowly.
Not because she didn't understand it.
Because saying it out loud made it real in a way that the documents alone had not.
"And Eleanor started all of it."
"That's what the evidence shows," Grace said.
"I want to be careful about how we present the Eleanor connection.
She'll argue she was only seeking legal advice.
Fitch will argue attorney-client privilege."
"Fitch drafted a forged medical document," Cassidy said.
"That's not protected."
"No," Grace said.
"It isn't."
"Add Eleanor to the referral."
A pause.
"Cassidy, she's Brendan's mother.
The press—"
"Add her," Cassidy said.
"She started this.
She doesn't get to stand at the edge of it and watch her son take the fall."
Grace was quiet for a moment.
Then: "All right."
"And Grace — the photograph from the parking garage.
My security team traced the sender's location.
It was taken from a vehicle registered to Sable Meridian."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"They were watching you this morning," Grace said.
"Before I even called the fraud unit," Cassidy said.
"Which means someone told them last night that I had the server."
"Marcus."
"Or Eleanor.
She was in the room."
"I'll add the surveillance to the referral," Grace said.
"That escalates this significantly.
Intimidation of a witness, potentially."
"Good," Cassidy said.
"Let it escalate."
She ended the call and stood at the window for another moment.
Then she picked up her phone and dialed a number she had not used in two years.
It rang three times.
A man's voice answered.
Calm.
Professional.
"Cassidy."
"Daniel," she said.
"I need a favor.
Not a Harlen favor.
A personal one."
"Name it."
"I need someone I trust watching my home tonight.
Not my security team.
Someone Eleanor doesn't know about."
A brief silence.
"Done.
I'll have someone there by six."
"Thank you."
"Cassidy." His voice shifted slightly.
"Are you all right?"
She looked at the city below her.
The same city.
The same light.
May you like
"I will be," she said.
"I just need tonight to be safe."
