Chapter 14 - The Visitor Log at the Penitentiary
By 7:30 the next morning, Daniel was pacing the sterile concrete hallway of the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The appellate hearing was scheduled for 2:00 PM at the county courthouse, but Daniel needed answers before he stepped into that courtroom.
His lawyer, Marcus Reed, caught up with him, carrying a briefcase stuffed with emergency filings.
"Daniel, you shouldn't be here," Marcus warned, his voice low and urgent. "You have a restraining order against her, and she has one against you. Going anywhere near Vanessa right now jeopardizes our stance before the judge!"
"Diane was in my house last night, Marcus!" Daniel hissed, grabbing Marcus by the lapel before catching himself and letting go. "They didn't just target Mason because they hated him. They targeted him because Emily left a 1.4-million-dollar trust, and Diane forged herself as a secondary conservator! She stole the hard drive last night!"
Marcus froze, his legal composure cracking. "What hard drive?"
"Emily kept digital backups of all her legal correspondences. If Diane alters those files or presents a fabricated version to the appellate judge to claim custody or financial disputes, Vanessa could argue for compassionate release or house arrest pending a retrial."
Marcus rubbed his temples. "We need the visitor logs. If Diane has been coordinating this, she had to visit Vanessa."
Through Marcus’s bar credentials, they bypassed the civilian waiting room and accessed the warden’s administrative desk. Marcus demanded an expedited review of Vanessa Vance's visitor log for the past sixty days under an emergency fraud investigation protocol.
Ten minutes later, the prison clerk handed Daniel a printed sheet.
Daniel’s eyes scanned the names.
*Diane Vance - Visited August 12.*
*Diane Vance - Visited August 28.*
*Diane Vance - Visited September 14.*
Then, Daniel’s eyes locked onto a fourth name. A visitor who had spent two hours with Vanessa just three days ago.
*Caroline Miller.*
Daniel stopped breathing. The air left his lungs as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer.
Caroline.
Emily’s younger sister. Mason’s beloved aunt. The woman who had baked cookies for Mason yesterday. The woman who currently had Mason in her home.
"No," Daniel whispered, stepping backward until his back hit the cold cinderblock wall. "No, that's impossible. Caroline hated Vanessa. She testified against her!"
"Daniel?" Marcus reached for the paper. "What is it?"
Daniel didn't answer. He ripped his phone from his pocket and dialed Caroline’s cell.
It rang once. Twice. Three times.
*Click.*
"Hello, Daniel," Caroline’s voice answered. It wasn't the warm, cheerful tone she used around Mason. It was flat, calm, and utterly devoid of emotion.
"Where is my son, Caroline?" Daniel growled, his voice vibrating with absolute terror.
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"Mason is watching cartoons, Daniel," she said softly. "He's very quiet. Just like Emily used to be before she took everything that should have belonged to me."
***
