The next morning, Emily woke with a steely determination. The previous night had brought her not only proof of her husband’s infidelity, but the full scale of his crimes. She knew what she had to do.
First, she took Noah to daycare and warned the teacher that only she or Mrs. Davis could pick up the child. Ethan was not to get near their son until everything was settled.
Then, she went to her job at the health clinic and requested a leave of absence for family matters.
When she got home, she locked herself in her study and opened her laptop. Online, she found the contact information for several renowned lawyers specializing in family and criminal law.
The first number answered immediately. “Roth and Associates,” a male voice said.
“Good morning. My name is Emily Hayes. I need an urgent consultation regarding fraud and document forgery.”
“One moment, please. I will connect you with Mr. Roth. He handles those cases himself.”
Constantine Roth was a man in his 40s with a pleasant voice and a professional demeanor. After hearing a brief summary of the situation, he agreed to meet her in 2 hours.
“Bring all the documents and evidence you have,” he advised. “If everything you are telling me is true, we could be looking at a very serious case.”
Emily’s next call was to a private investigator, Andrew Castle, recommended by a colleague from the clinic.
“I need a background check on two people,” she explained. “Ethan Hayes, a senior partner at a law firm, and Pamela Serrano, 25 years old, his parallegal. I am particularly interested in their financial situation, connections, and possible accompllices.”
“Understood. The standard fee is $5,000 for a complete dossier on each. It will take us 3 days.”
“Agreed. But I need the results sooner. I will pay extra for the urgency.”
After speaking with the detective, Emily tackled the most delicate part of the plan: contacting the families Ethan had defrauded.
In the red folders, she had seen the addresses and phone numbers of the deceased testtor’s relatives. The first call was to the grandson of Antonio Morales, the same elderly woman Ethan had made sign a deed of gift instead of a will.
“Hello, Max Morales.”
“Yes. Who is this?”
“My name is Emily Hayes. I am the wife of the lawyer, Ethan Hayes, who handled your grandmother’s documents.”
“Oh, yes, I remember. Why are you calling, Max?”