Chapter 14 - The Courthouse Steps
The Franklin County Courthouse loomed against the gray January sky like an imposing fortress of gray limestone and heavy Corinthian columns. By the time Daniel’s SUV pulled up to the circular drive, a small cluster of local reporters and television camera crews had already gathered near the grand staircase. Word of Evelyn Bennett’s erratic legal maneuvers had leaked to the local press, turning a private family tragedy into a public spectacle.
As Daniel parked the car, he looked back at Claire, who was sitting in the passenger seat with her jaw set like iron. Rachel had stayed behind at the house to watch the kids, insisting they needed a safe, quiet space far away from the circus.
"Are you ready for this?" Daniel asked, reaching over to squeeze her hand. Her fingers were ice-cold, but her grip was like a vise.
"She picked the wrong family," Claire said simply, opening her door and stepping out into the freezing wind.
Flashbulbs immediately began to pop. Reporters surged forward, shouting over one another, thrusting microphones toward them as they mounted the stone steps.
*"Mr. Bennett! Is it true your mother is contesting your daughter's adoption?"*
*"Is this about the federal audit into the Bennett Family Trust?"*
*"Mrs. Bennett, do you have a statement regarding the custody petition?"*
Claire didn't look at the cameras. She kept her head high, her eyes fixed on the massive oak doors of the courthouse entrance. Daniel walked shoulder-to-shoulder with her, shielding her from the aggressive press corps until Marcus Vance parted the sea of reporters from the top of the steps, holding the heavy glass doors open for them.
Once inside the vaulted marble lobby, the noise of the street faded into a hollow, echoing hum.
Marcus was waiting for them, looking immaculate in a tailored charcoal suit, holding a thick leather briefcase. He handed Daniel a set of stamped documents without missing a beat.
"You made good time," Marcus said, falling into step beside them as they hurried toward the elevators. "Judge Harrison is presiding over emergency motions in Courtroom 4B. Evelyn’s counsel is already inside, trying to push for an *ex parte* temporary custody order before we could even be notified."
"An *ex parte* order?" Claire said, her voice dropping into a dangerous register. "Without giving us a chance to speak?"
"That was her strategy," Marcus nodded grimly as they stepped into the elevator. "She wanted to catch us flat-footed, secure an emergency pickup order, and traumatize Lily all over again. But my team filed an immediate motion to dismiss based on fraudulent filings and lack of standing. We caught Judge Harrison’s clerk ten minutes before docket time. He agreed to hear both sides immediately."
The elevator doors chimed, sliding open to reveal the quiet, sterile hallway of the fourth floor.
They marched down the corridor and pushed open the heavy double doors of Courtroom 4B.
Inside, the room was mostly empty except for the stenographer, the clerk, and sitting at the plaintiff’s table near the front was Evelyn Bennett.
Evelyn looked different than she had at Christmas, or even in her driveway three weeks ago. Her pristine socialite armor was visibly fraying; her hair, usually sculpted into an immaculate silver bob, had a few stray strands loose around her face, and her designer suit looked slightly oversized on her frame. But the moment she saw Claire and Daniel walk through the doors, her eyes hardened into shards of arctic ice.
She turned away, whispering something sharp and vicious to her high-priced corporate attorney, a slick man with slicked-back gray hair who immediately adjusted his tie and stood up to address the bench.
May you like
Judge Arthur Harrison, a stern-faced man with decades on the bench, adjusted his reading glasses, looked down from his elevated podium, and slammed his gavel down once.
"We are on the record," Judge Harrison announced, his voice echoing in the quiet courtroom. "Let's dispense with the theatrics. Mrs. Bennett’s counsel has filed an emergency petition for temporary guardianship regarding the minor child Lily Bennett. Mr. Vance, you represent the respondents. You have the floor."
