Chapter 5
The altered clinic document became the next battlefield.
Vivienne denied changing it.
Her lawyer claimed someone else may have modified the PDF after she forwarded it.
Katherine expected that.
Digital forensics did not rely on the visible text alone.
The copy on Celeste’s phone had metadata showing it was created from a PDF editor registered to a license used by Vale Legacy Services.
A company once run by Vivienne during the marriage.
The editing session occurred twelve minutes after she downloaded the original clinic alert.
Dorian looked at Katherine.
“That sounds close to proof.”
“It sounds close.”
“Why not proof?”
“Because a shared corporate license can be used by multiple devices.”
“Which devices?”
“We’re working on it.”
The editor had changed three things.
The file title.
One sentence.
And the footer.
Original:
QUALITY REVIEW NOTICE — NO PATIENT ACTION REQUIRED AT THIS TIME
Modified:
SPECIMEN INTEGRITY REVIEW — PATIENT COUNSEL ADVISED
Original sentence:
Current review has not indicated cross-patient specimen handling.
Modified:
Current review has not excluded cross-patient specimen handling.
One word disappeared.
indicated became excluded.
The meaning changed almost completely.
Celeste stared at the comparison.
“She made me believe they might have used another man’s sample.”
Katherine said:
“Someone did.”
Dorian looked at his wife.
“You still called the clinic.”
“Yes.”
“And they told you no conclusion yet.”
“Yes.”
“But you trusted the PDF enough to panic.”
Celeste nodded.
Dorian understood how.
A frightened person rarely parses differences between a quality-control officer’s careful phone language and a document that appears official.
Especially when the document arrives from someone who once ran the family’s medical paperwork.
That was why the forgery was effective.
It did not need to be perfect.
It only needed to push uncertainty one step further.
Then Thomas Creed’s records revealed Bellweather’s real function.
At least part of it.
The company paid galleries.
Storage facilities.
Private transport services.
Auction consultants.
Some expenses appeared legitimate.
Vivienne had overseen valuable family art during the marriage.
But several charges had no connection to family property.
One shipment transported three paintings from New York to Geneva.
The paintings belonged to Vivienne personally.
The Family Support Reserve paid the bill.
Another invoice funded restoration of a painting later sold through Vivienne’s art consultancy.
Another covered legal work tied to a dispute over a collection owned by her sister.
Not millions in outright theft.
Yet.
But clear personal benefit.
Katherine’s accountant estimated at least $620,000 in questionable charges in the initial sample.
Dorian looked at the number.
“That is enough to embarrass her.”
Katherine nodded.
“Not enough to explain attempted murder.”
Dorian’s expression changed.
“Don’t call it that.”
Vivienne had shoved Celeste.
The consequences could have been catastrophic.
But criminal intent would be determined from evidence.
Not Dorian’s anger.
Katherine gave a small nod.
Good correction.
Then the accountant added:
“We only have a sample.”
“How much remains unverified?”
May you like
“Almost three million.”
The paternity lie may have been designed to delay more than embarrassment.
