Chapter 6 - The Servicing of the Writ
The sun was dipping below the horizon when my phone rang. Caller ID displayed Victoria Sterling (Office).
I swiped to answer immediately. "Victoria? Is it done?"
"It is done, Maya," Victoria’s voice came through crisp and clear, laced with quiet amusement. "You should have seen the look on your mother-in-law's face when the county sheriff’s deputies and our private security detail walked through the front door."
"Did they cause a scene?" I asked, leaning back in my ergonomic desk chair.
"A monumental scene," Victoria chuckled. "Lorraine tried to invoke diplomatic immunity or some grand maternal right, claiming she was being persecuted for 'protecting family values.' Trevor tried to live-stream the entire thing on his phone until one of the deputies politely informed him that recording law enforcement execution of a court-mandated property exclusion order would result in immediate confiscation of his device for evidentiary review."
"And Daniel?"
"Daniel tried to play the victim," Victoria said, her tone hardening slightly. "He stammered about how this was all a misunderstanding, how he’s your husband, how we're tearing a family apart. But when my investigator handed him the subpoena for the bank fraud conspiracy charges, color drained entirely from his face. They were given exactly forty-five minutes to pack their personal belongings into garbage bags and clear the premises."
A profound wave of relief washed over me, heavy and sweet. My house. My sanctuary. No chains on the refrigerator. No strangers leaving energy drink cans in my office. No toxic manipulation disguised as family love.
"Where are they going?" I asked.
"Well, Lorraine’s previous landlord rented out her old duplex three weeks ago," Victoria replied. "Trevor has no job and no savings. And Daniel checked into a budget motel off the interstate about three miles from your office. My investigator tracked his car."
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"Let him stay there," I said coldly. "He made his bed with his mother and his brother; now he can lie in it."
"Keep your phone on, Maya," Victoria added before hanging up. "We have a court date for the asset division and fraud hearing next Tuesday. Bring your game face."
