Chapter 5 - The Lawyer Who Said No
Her name was Rebecca Sloan.
Family and adoption attorney.
Austin.
Jessica had met her six months earlier.
Not secretly at first.
Daniel knew.
They wanted advice on adoption.
Legitimate.
Then Jessica asked a hypothetical.
“My sister in law is pregnant with triplets. Could she place one with us?”
Rebecca answered:
Only if Maya independently chose adoption after counseling and legal advice, and only through proper process after birth as required.
Jessica pushed:
Could Maya sign before birth?
Rebecca said:
Not a final relinquishment.
Could family agreement bypass?
No.
Could Daniel take hospital custody if Maya verbally promised?
No.
Could parents pressure?
Absolutely not.
Rebecca documented.
Then Jessica stopped using her.
Except she did not stop using her name.
The folder contained an old business card.
A draft letter with Rebecca’s firm logo copied from prior email.
No signature.
It said:
Our office is assisting with a planned intrafamily placement.
Forgery of law firm document.
Rebecca was furious.
She called detectives herself.
Then the fake call to hospital.
Phone records later traced to Jessica’s prepaid phone.
She was trying to make the arrangement look formal.
Not enough to remove a baby.
But enough to create confusion.
Then the sedatives.
Jessica’s lawyer claimed she had accidentally picked up Eleanor’s prescription bottle after staying at their house.
Possible.
Then detectives found texts.
Eleanor:
Bring my sleep medication just in case.
Jessica:
Why?
Eleanor:
If Maya becomes frantic, David will blame pain and exhaustion.
Jessica:
We are not drugging her.
Eleanor:
Then persuade nurse to give her something.
That mattered.
No completed poisoning.
No administration.
But intention to impair or exploit me.
Then another text:
Jessica:
What if she still says no?
Richard:
Then we use temporary authorization and take Noah home while everyone calms down.
They had already selected Noah.
I looked at my sleeping son.
“Why him?”
Daniel answered.
“Dad.”
“What about Dad?”
“He said firstborn boy.”
Noah was born first by ninety seconds.
My father considered that meaningful.
A family heir.
Daniel hated saying.
“Jessica started calling him Nathan.”
I stared.
“What?”
“She said if we ever adopted him, she wanted Nathan.”
They had renamed my son before touching him.
David stood.
Walked to window.
Hands shaking.
Then turned to Daniel.
“How long did you know that?”
“Two months.”
David moved toward him.
I said:
“David.”
He stopped.
No fight.
Not in maternity ward.
Daniel did not back away.
“I deserve that.”
“No,” David said. “You deserve to answer questions. Hitting you would make this about me.”
Good.
Then Daniel said something unexpected.
“I never wanted Noah specifically.”
“What does that mean?”
“I wanted a child.”
He looked at me.
“I let myself imagine that maybe you would offer.”
I felt sick.
He continued before I could speak.
“I never asked you because I knew you wouldn’t.”
“So you let everyone else pressure me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if they succeeded, I could pretend I hadn’t.”
There.
Cowardice.
Then Jessica’s plan.
She and Eleanor had prepared a nursery at Daniel’s house.
One crib.
Blue.
Clothes.
Formula.
A car seat.
Not illegal to prepare.
Disturbing.
Then police found one thing Daniel had not known.
A discharge outfit embroidered:
NATHAN VANCE.
Size newborn.
Jessica bought it six weeks before delivery.
She intended to leave hospital with a specific baby.
Then David asked:
“Did you know about London?”
Daniel looked away.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Dad said he helped make sure you had to go.”
My chest tightened.
David’s face emptied.
“How?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
Then Detective Cole entered.
May you like
“We do now.”
Continue to the next part: Richard did not invent David’s London merger, but he secretly pushed David’s company to move the trip into the exact window he wanted.
