Chapter 7 - The Turning Point
Callie knew she couldn't fight this alone. She needed professional, incorruptible help.
She remembered a name Geneva had mentioned in her old diaries: Arthur Vance (no relation), a retired federal prosecutor who had been a dear friend of Callie’s late grandfather. He had retired to a quiet estate outside of town, completely removed from the corrupt local politics of Fairview.
Callie gathered the documents from the hidden safe, loaded Geneva into the car, and drove straight to Arthur’s estate.
When Arthur opened the door, his eyes softened as he looked at Geneva. "Geneva... my god, what have they done to you?"
"Arthur," Geneva whispered, a spark of recognition in her eyes. "The boys... they took the trees. They took the pines."
Inside his study, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, Callie laid out the entire story. She showed him the forged power of attorney, the illegal land transfer deeds for Whispering Pines, the diary entries detailing the forced drugging, and the evidence linking Joel to the arson at St. Jude’s.
Arthur’s face grew darker with every document he read. His hands clutched the edge of his desk so hard his knuckles turned white.
"This isn't just elder abuse, Callie," Arthur said, his voice trembling with controlled rage. "This is a massive, multi-layered criminal conspiracy. Arson, forgery, financial fraud, and illegal chemical restraint. Joel and Dakota have bribed local officials to keep this quiet, which is why they were able to get that emergency petition signed so quickly."
"Can they take her away from me today?" Callie asked, her voice cracking.
"Not if I can help it," Arthur said, reaching for his telephone. "I may be retired from the local courts, but I still hold weight with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Attorney General’s office. This level of financial fraud involves interstate banking. This is federal territory now."
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Arthur made three phone calls. Within an hour, he had arranged for a state medical board doctor to meet them at a secure, neutral location to conduct an official, independent evaluation of Geneva, proving she had been drugged and neglected under Joel’s prior care.
"We are going to set a trap, Callie," Arthur said, a grim smile appearing on his face. "You are going to agree to meet Joel and Dakota. But we are changing the venue."
