Chapter 6 - The Unseen Witness
As the heavy courtroom doors swung shut behind Ruth and Frank, Mara remained standing, her posture straight, her expression entirely unreadable. She turned slightly to look at Andrew. His tailored suit seemed suddenly two sizes too large for him. The man who had handed her divorce papers over cold eggs with a smirk on his face looked like a cornered animal.
""Your Honor,"" Mara said, breaking the silence once more. ""The forged signature on the initial dissolution agreement is not the only document executed under fraudulent circumstances.""
Calder looked as though he might physically collapse. ""Your Honor, please. We request an immediate recess to confer with our client.""
""Denied,"" Judge Porter snapped. ""Mrs. Ellison, continue.""
""Tab four contains an affidavit from Evelyn Barnes,"" Mara said.
At the mention of that name, Andrew’s head snapped up. ""Evelyn?"" he choked out.
""Ms. Barnes was instructed by Andrew to forge my signature under threat of immediate termination and the revocation of her health insurance,"" Mara explained to the court. ""What Andrew did not know is that Ms. Barnes contacted me three days ago, terrified of facing criminal charges. She provided a full written confession, accompanied by an audio recording of Andrew ordering her to duplicate my signature and stamp it with her notary seal.""
Mara played a five-second clip from her tablet through the courtroom speakers. Andrew’s unmistakable voice crackled through the room: ""Just stamp the damn paper, Evelyn. She’s an idiot. She doesn't have a lawyer. She won't know the difference between an uncontested decree and a traffic ticket. Just sign it.""
Andrew buried his face in his hands.
Calder turned slowly toward his client, his jaw clenched, his eyes blazing with professional fury. An attorney can handle difficult clients, but an attorney who realizes his client handed him forged documents and lied to the court knows his own license to practice is on the line.
""Mr. Calder,"" Judge Porter said, her voice dropping into a lethal, quiet tone. ""Are you still asserting that this matter is straightforward?""
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""No, Your Honor,"" Calder said, his voice barely audible. ""We... we withdraw our motion to enforce the settlement agreement.""
""You don't get to simply withdraw it, Mr. Calder,"" Mara stated, stepping forward. ""I am formally requesting an immediate freeze on all corporate and personal assets belonging to Andrew Ellison, an emergency injunction against Ellison Logistics, and a referral to the District Attorney’s Office for felony forgery and perjury.""
