Chapter 6 - Counterattack
I drove back to Boston with the blue bin secured in my trunk and a fire burning in my chest.
On Monday morning, I walked into Sarah’s office and laid the documents on her desk. As she read through the abandonment letter, a slow, dangerous smile spread across her face. But when she read the life insurance documents and the forged waiver, her jaw literally dropped.
"My God, Maya," Sarah whispered. "This isn't just a defense. This is a federal crime. Forgery, grand larceny, and insurance fraud. The statute of limitations for civil fraud in our state begins when the fraud is discovered, not when it was committed, especially since you were a minor."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It means," Sarah said, leaning forward, "we aren't just going to get his lawsuit thrown out. We are going to counter-sue him for the stolen trust money, plus twenty years of accrued interest and punitive damages. And we are going to file a criminal complaint for forgery."
"How much would that be?"
Sarah did some quick math on a legal pad. "At a standard interest rate over twenty years, plus damages? Easily upwards of $350,000. He wanted fifty thousand from you. Now, he’s looking at losing everything he has, plus potential jail time."
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"When is our first court date?" I asked, feeling a profound sense of justice beginning to swell within me.
"The preliminary hearing for his filial support claim is next Thursday," Sarah said, her eyes gleaming. "Marcus Sterling thinks this is going to be an easy shake-down. Let's let him think that until the moment we step into the courtroom."
