And their own recorded voices, making the exchange plain — my signature, for my medication.

Christopher watched the screen for about five seconds, and then he turned his back on it.

“Rosalie,” he said, to the wall, “please — tell them this was just a heated family argument.”

“A family argument,” I said, “does not involve assault, and it does not involve a forced power of attorney.”

Jacqueline showed the officers the photographs of the documents from my safe, and explained, precisely, what the papers Christopher had tried to force on me would have done — handed him total control of assets he had no legal right to touch, starting with commercial real estate my late grandmother had left to me and me alone.

Chapter 15 — The Trust He Didn’t Know About