Chapter 6 - The Paper Sarah Waved Wasn’t a Court Order
Police arrived because Arthur had called before I opened the door.
Nobody was tackled.
Nobody was dragged screaming across the lawn.
David put the hammer down when ordered.
Officers photographed the damage.
Statements were taken separately.
Sarah kept insisting:
“Lisa is mentally unstable.”
Then she pulled a folded page from her handbag.
“There. Read it.”
It was from a physician.
The words:
possible cognitive decline
appeared near the top.
Not severe dementia.
Not legal incapacity.
Not anything close to the certainty Sarah had been describing.
The doctor had never examined me.
He had conducted a telehealth consultation with David and Sarah about:
“family concerns.”
The letter explicitly recommended that I receive an independent assessment.
Which I had.
And passed.
The officer looked at Sarah.
“This does not give you authority to enter the house.”
She stopped talking.
Then David said:
“Mom signed a power of attorney.”
Rebecca, who had arrived twenty minutes later, answered:
“It has not been activated.”
David stared at her.
“What?”
“It requires conditions that have not occurred.”
Sarah looked sharply at him.
I caught that.
She had told David something different.
Then a black sedan pulled up.
A man stepped out carrying a leather folder.
He looked from the police cruiser to the damaged door.
“David?”
Nobody answered.
The man continued.
“I thought we were meeting at seven.”
Rebecca asked:
“Who are you?”
He introduced himself as Martin Cole.
Real-estate investor.
Then:
“I’m here about the house.”
My house.
I looked at David.
His face collapsed.
Rebecca’s voice became very calm.
“What about it?”
Martin hesitated.
“Mr. Parker represented that he expected authority to sell the property this month.”
I stopped hearing everything else for several seconds.
May you like
David had not merely discussed getting control.
He had already found a buyer.
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