Chapter 4 - Eric Lawson
Ethan did not call Eric.
That was the first good decision he made that day.
Rebecca instructed:
“Screenshot. Do not respond.”
He did.
Police obtained it later.
Then Ethan told me what I should have known years earlier.
Eric Lawson had always been the family fixer.
Not financially.
Psychologically.
When Ethan’s parents divorced, Eric became the calm one.
Mediator.
Interpreter.
The brother who explained why everyone behaved badly.
He earned a doctorate.
Worked in family assessment.
Custody cases.
High conflict divorces.
Guardian evaluations.
Ethan admired him.
I did not know enough to dislike him.
Then Diane.
Who hired her?
Me and Ethan together.
Through BrightNest Nannies.
Or so I thought.
I found her profile.
Ethan handled final background paperwork because I had morning sickness.
Who recommended BrightNest?
Eric.
“He said they were excellent.”
Rebecca asked:
“Did you verify independently?”
“No.”
Ethan looked ashamed.
BrightNest existed.
Diane had been placed through them before.
But the agency record showed something odd.
Referral source:
DR. ERIC LAWSON.
Personal recommendation.
Not general system.
He specifically recommended Diane.
Why?
Ethan called the agency with Rebecca listening.
Manager said:
“Dr. Lawson told us Diane had worked for a family he evaluated and was exceptional.”
What family?
Confidential.
But he vouched for her.
Then employment contract.
Emergency contact:
Eric Lawson.
Not relative.
Reference.
I had never noticed.
Then Diane’s past.
Police started digging.
She had worked for five families over eleven years.
Three had involved custody disputes while she was employed.
Two mothers temporarily lost primary custody.
Coincidence?
Maybe.
Then one former employer called Rachel after news of Diane’s arrest reached agency network.
Her name:
Jessica Moore.
Thirty nine.
Colorado.
Diane worked for her six years earlier.
Jessica told Rachel:
“She said I drank too much.”
Did you?
“No.”
“Did Child Protection investigate?”
“Yes.”
“Outcome?”
Unsubstantiated.
Then:
“My ex husband used the reports during divorce.”
My skin prickled.
Who evaluated them?
Jessica did not remember.
She emailed old paperwork.
Family Assessment Solutions.
Expert consultant:
Dr. Eric Lawson.
Same pattern.
Then another family.
Nevada.
Diane nanny.
Anonymous report.
Eric consultant.
Mother described as unstable.
Father gained temporary custody.
That case later reversed when fabricated evidence discovered.
Was Diane implicated?
No.
Nobody looked at nanny.
Until now.
This was no longer personal.
It looked like a method.
But motive?
Eric did not profit from Ethan getting custody unless Ethan planned divorce.
I stared at him.
“Were you planning to leave me?”
“No.”
“Did you talk to Eric about our marriage?”
Silence.
“Ethan.”
“Yes.”
My chest tightened.
“What did you say?”
“That we were fighting.”
We had.
Over money.
Work.
His travel.
Diane’s role.
Nothing close to divorce in my mind.
“Did you tell him you wanted custody?”
“No.”
“Did you tell him you were afraid I was unstable?”
“No.”
“Did you tell him about my company shares?”
Ethan looked at Rebecca’s speaker.
Then me.
“Yes.”
There.
My late father founded Bennett Medical Logistics.
I inherited forty six percent voting interest through a family trust.
Ethan became CFO three years earlier.
He knew company intimately.
Eric occasionally gave him personal advice.
“What did you tell him?”
“That the board was becoming difficult.”
“Because?”
“The Crescent Harbor deal.”
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
Crescent Harbor Partners had offered to buy Bennett Medical’s western distribution division.
I opposed the deal.
Too cheap.
Ethan supported it.
We had fought repeatedly.
“How much did you tell Eric?”
“Everything.”
“Did you tell him my vote could block it?”
“Yes.”
“Did you tell him about my durable power of attorney?”
He looked away.
My stomach turned.
Years earlier, after a car accident scare, I had signed an emergency financial power of attorney naming Ethan.
It activated only if two independent physicians certified I lacked capacity.
Not because of CPS.
Not because of a bad mood.
Medical incapacity.
Still.
A public record of instability could help someone build a larger picture.
“Why did Eric need to know?”
“He asked how the company worked if you became sick.”
“When?”
“About three months ago.”
The anonymous reports started eight weeks ago.
Timing.
Then police called.
They had arrested Eric.
Not for conspiracy yet.
For obstruction and unauthorized access after he attempted remotely deleting Family Assessment Solutions files.
And one deleted folder had already been recovered.
Name:
May you like
CLAIRE BENNETT LAWSON.
Created four months before the first anonymous report.
