Chapter 6: The Emergency Consultation
The leather upholstery of Julian’s silver sedan groaned softly as he slammed the passenger door shut, making sure Leo and Toby were securely buckled into the back seat with booster cushions pulled from the trunk. He climbed into the driver's seat, pulled his smartphone from his breast pocket, and dialed a ten-digit number with practiced speed. The phone rang twice before a deep, authoritative voice answered on the other end.
“Sterling,” the voice barked. It was Marcus Vance, senior partner at Vance & Sterling Legal Counsel, and Julian’s cousin by marriage as well as his primary corporate attorney.
“Marcus, I need you to clear your afternoon right now,” Julian said, his voice tight with controlled urgency as he inserted the ignition key and started the engine.
“Julian? I thought you were flying back from Zurich today. What’s wrong? You sound like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Marcus replied, the sound of rustling paper stopping in the background.
“Worse. Clara, our housekeeper, was just arrested for grand larceny. My mother called the police, claiming a Victorian family heirloom was found hidden inside Clara’s coat in the carriage house.” Julian shifted the car into drive, pulling away from the carriage house and heading down the long driveway toward the main gates.
Marcus let out a low whistle through the receiver. “Your mother’s heirloom? The diamond brooch? That piece is insured for over half a million dollars. That’s not just petty theft; that’s a felony charge with serious prison time. Why are you calling me instead of letting the public defender handle bail?”
“Because Clara didn’t steal it, Marcus,” Julian said firmly, gripping the steering wheel with both hands as he navigated the winding estate road. “I inspected the closet myself ten minutes ago. The tear in the coat lining where the brooch was supposedly found is brand new. The threads are completely clean. Someone planted it there to frame her, and I intend to prove it before the arraignment tomorrow morning.”
“That’s a bold accusation, Julian. Do you have proof, or is this just your soft heart talking?” Marcus asked, his tone shifting into professional skepticism.
“I have my observations of the crime scene, and I know my mother’s household staff,” Julian retorted. “Meet me at the County Detention Center on Fourth Street in forty minutes. Bring a private investigator with digital forensic capabilities. We need to pull the security camera logs from the perimeter sensors around the carriage house for the last forty-eight hours.”
“Alright, I’ll clear my schedule and call David Reyes, our best private investigator,” Marcus conceded, sensing the unyielding resolve in Julian’s voice. “Meet you at the precinct intake desk. Don’t say anything to the detectives without me present.”
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Julian hung up, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat. In the back, Toby had finally fallen into an exhausted, tearful sleep against Leo’s shoulder. Leo looked out the window at the passing suburban landscape, his young face pale and solemn. Julian glanced at them through the rearview mirror, a wave of profound guilt washing over him. He had inherited this empire, but right now, his family’s legacy felt less like an inheritance and more like a gilded prison built on secrets and deceit.
***
