It was at that point in my investigation that I had called Olivia Ramirez, a forensic investigator who specializes in the financial exploitation of the elderly.

I had trained Olivia myself, years earlier, when she was starting out, and there is no one I trust more with a paper trail.

For three weeks, quietly, she followed every thread: the forged power of attorney, the broker inquiry, the banking attempts.

And one of the threads she pulled led to the part of Michael’s petition that made Judge Bennett sit forward in his chair.

“There is one more category of evidence,” I told the court, “and it concerns the medical documentation Michael submitted in support of his petition.” I handed the judge two documents.