“I already did.”
Her eyes glittered angrily. “You’re old. You’re sick. Courts overturn things.”
“Courts adore paperwork,” Malcolm replied pleasantly. “Especially notarized paperwork witnessed by three physicians.”
Vanessa turned sharply toward Daniel. “Say something.”
He opened his mouth.
I raised one finger.
He closed it immediately.
Then I gave her the one clue she should have feared most.
“The recorder worked beautifully,” I said softly.
All color drained from Vanessa’s face.
Malcolm smiled faintly.
“The hospital board meets Friday,” he said. “I suggest dressing carefully.”
Vanessa arrived at the hospital board meeting wearing white.
A bold decision for a woman arriving at her own judgment.
Daniel walked beside her in a navy suit, sweat darkening the collar. He avoided looking at me entirely. The surgeon sat stiffly at the far end of the table, rigid with embarrassment. Board members whispered as Malcolm and I entered together.
I used no wheelchair.
I wanted Vanessa to watch me walk into that room.
“Evelyn,” she said smoothly, “this is unnecessary. Family issues shouldn’t become public.”
