Chapter 10: Thursday
Gerald called at 4:47 on Thursday afternoon.
Patricia had me on speaker again.
This time it was just the two of us — Barbara was home with Chloe, who had a follow-up appointment in the morning and needed an early night.
"My client has reviewed the proposal," Gerald said.
"And?"
"He's prepared to agree to full financial disclosure and the forensic accounting process." A pause.
"He'd like to propose the child support figure be set at eighty percent of the statutory maximum, given certain business expenses that affect his documented income."
"The statutory maximum," Patricia said.
"Based on gross income before discretionary business deductions."
"That's a harder number to—"
"It's the number the court will use if we file," Patricia said.
"We can do this here, or we can do it in front of a judge.
The judge will also hear about the paternity waiver."
Silence.
"Full statutory maximum," Gerald said.
"Agreed."
"The one-time medical payment.
In full."
"Agreed.
He'd like thirty days to arrange the transfer."
"Fifteen," Patricia said.
"Given that the treatments are ongoing."
A pause.
"Fifteen days.
Agreed."
"The custody restriction.
Five years, no claim, no petition, no trust-related residency attempt."
The longest silence yet.
"He wants three years," Gerald said.
Patricia looked at me.
I shook my head.
"Five years," Patricia said.
"Chloe will be in school.
She'll have a stable life established.
If Eric wants a relationship with his daughter after that period, he can pursue it through proper channels, with her interests as the primary consideration.
Five years is not punitive.
It is protective."
"Four years," Gerald said.
"Five," Patricia said.
"This isn't a market."
Another silence.
"Five years," Gerald said.
"Agreed."
"The rental property is to be disclosed in the financial filing and its value included in the marital asset calculation."
"My client acknowledges the property."
"And the wire transfer to the third party is to be included in the financial misconduct documentation, which will be filed with the court as part of the divorce record."
"He would prefer—"
"It's not a preference," Patricia said.
"It's a condition.
The record exists.
We're not hiding it.
If the relevant parties discover it through the court filing, that is a consequence of my client's actions, not ours."
Silence.
"Agreed," Gerald said.
His voice had gone very flat.
Patricia made a note.
"We'll have the draft agreement to you by Monday.
Once it's signed, Robert Calloway will formally close the trust review.
The distribution will be placed in Chloe's protected account until she turns eighteen."
"Eric understands that."
"Make sure he does," Patricia said.
"Because if he violates any term of this agreement — any term — the forensic accountant goes back in, and we file for contempt.
There will be no second negotiation."
"Understood."
"One last thing," Patricia said.
"The text messages sent to my client from unregistered numbers.
Eric is to cease all contact of that nature immediately.
If my client receives one more message of that kind, we treat it as harassment and file accordingly."
A pause.
"My client denies sending those messages," Gerald said.
"Of course he does," Patricia said.
"Cease them anyway."
She ended the call.
She set down her pen and looked at me across the desk.
"It's done," she said.
I sat with that for a moment.
"He got away with a lot," I said.
"He did," she said.
"He won't get the money.
He won't get near Chloe.
He'll pay support and disclose his assets and live with the court record." She folded her hands.
"That's not nothing."
"No," I said.
"It isn't."
I thought of the porch.
Eric's face when Barbara opened that folder.
The way Kayla had looked at him — that careful, measuring look.
"What happens to Kayla?" I said.
"That's not our concern," Patricia said.
Not unkindly.
"But I imagine she's asking herself some hard questions."
I picked up my bag.
"Thank you," I said.
May you like
Patricia nodded.
"Go home to your daughter."
