Chapter 9: The Morning the Freeze Went Through
Diane filed at 8:47 on a Thursday morning.
By 10:15, Julian's attorney had called her office four times.
She told me this when I arrived at noon, and she said it the way someone reports a weather forecast — factual, unsurprised, mildly satisfied.
"He's trying to negotiate," she said.
"His offer has gone up considerably since Monday."
"I'm not interested in his offer."
"I know.
I told them that." She opened her laptop.
"The freeze covers all joint accounts and the three LLCs we identified initially.
The Florida property is being added this afternoon once the judge signs the supplemental order." She turned the screen toward me.
"His business accounts are separate and not currently frozen, but his attorney knows that any attempt to move personal assets through business channels will be treated as contempt."
"How did he react?"
"His attorney used the word *aggressive* to describe our approach." She almost smiled.
"I took that as a compliment."
My phone buzzed.
A message from Caleb: *He just called Mom.*
I stared at the screen.
Our mother lived alone in Portland.
She was seventy-one, sharp, and had never trusted Julian — she had told me so once, early on, and I had defended him so fiercely that she never raised it again.
I called her immediately.
She picked up on the second ring.
"Clara.
I've been waiting for you to call."
"What did he say to you?"
"He said you were having some kind of breakdown.
That Caleb had filled your head with lies and that you needed to come home before you did something you couldn't take back." A pause.
"He cried, Clara.
Very convincingly."
"Mom —"
"I told him I hadn't raised a fool," she said.
"And that if he called this number again I would be speaking to my own attorney." Another pause, shorter.
"I should have said something two years ago.
I'm sorry I didn't."
My throat tightened.
"You tried."
"Not hard enough." Her voice was steady but I could hear the weight in it.
"Come home when this is over.
Bring the baby.
We have a lot of time to make up."
I pressed my hand flat against my stomach.
"We will, Mom.
I promise."
After I hung up, I sat for a moment in Diane's waiting room.
The freeze was in place.
The Florida property was being added.
Julian had gone to my mother and come away with nothing.
He was running out of moves.
Diane appeared in the doorway.
"The judge signed the supplemental order."
I stood up.
"What happens now?"
"Now we wait for him to make a mistake." She tilted her head slightly.
"He will.
They always do when the money stops moving."
May you like
She was right.
The call came two days later.
