Chapter 9: The Beneficiary
Patricia called the number on Monday morning before I had a chance to.
She called me back at noon.
"The number belongs to a woman named Sandra Okafor," she said.
"She's a paralegal.
She worked in Gerald Marsh's office until six weeks ago."
I set down my coffee.
"She left six weeks ago."
"She was let go.
She says she was let go because she raised concerns about the Farrow matter internally and Gerald didn't want her in the building."
"She's a witness."
"She's potentially a very significant witness," Patricia said.
"She's agreed to provide a written statement.
Nathan, she has documents.
Internal memos.
She took copies before she left."
"Is that legal?"
"That's a question for her attorney.
What matters for our purposes is what those documents say." Patricia paused.
"Eight months ago, Rebecca took out a life insurance policy on you.
Two million dollars.
The beneficiary is listed as Rebecca Farrow, with a secondary beneficiary of the Farrow Family Trust — which is controlled by Constance."
The kitchen was very quiet.
"Nathan.
Are you there?"
"I'm here."
"This doesn't prove intent to harm you.
Insurance policies are common between couples.
But combined with the trust research, the Hillcrest arrangement, the timeline — it establishes a pattern that any family court judge will take seriously.
And it gives us grounds to request a formal investigation."
"Into what?"
"Into whether Gerald Marsh and Constance Farrow conspired to defraud Emily's trust and potentially to place a minor child in institutional care for financial gain." She let that land.
"That's not a family court matter anymore.
That's potentially a criminal matter."
I walked to the window.
The garden was bright and ordinary in the morning light.
Emily was outside with Sue, doing something with chalk on the patio stones.
She was drawing a house.
Four windows, a door, a garden with flowers taller than the roof.
"Emily doesn't know any of this," I said.
"Good.
Keep it that way for as long as you can."
"What happens next?"
"I've already been in contact with a colleague who handles financial fraud cases.
Sandra Okafor is meeting with him this afternoon.
If her documents are what she says they are, we move quickly." Patricia's voice was steady and precise.
"Gerald filed his emergency motion on Saturday.
The hearing is set for Thursday.
I want to walk into that courtroom with Sandra's statement, the internal memos, and the insurance documentation already in the judge's hands."
"And Rebecca?"
A pause.
"Rebecca is going to need to make some decisions very soon," Patricia said.
"About how much of this she wants to defend and how much she wants to distance herself from.
Gerald and Constance are the architects here.
Rebecca may have been a willing participant or she may have been partially managed by them.
That distinction will matter."
I thought about what Claire had said.
*I think she did come to care about you.
But the plan was always there, underneath.*
"She wrote the note herself," I said.
"She handed it to my seven-year-old daughter."
"I know," Patricia said.
"I haven't forgotten that."
Neither had I.
Emily looked up from her chalk drawing and waved at me through the window.
May you like
I raised my hand.
She went back to her house with its too-tall flowers.
