Chapter 6 - The Woman in the Gallery
The courtroom was packed.
Alison sat between Daniel and Christopher.
Across the aisle sat Gregory.
He looked completely different.
Clean suit.
Perfect tie.
Calm expression.
Almost wounded.
Beside him sat Evelyn Voss.
She smiled at Alison.
Not warmly.
Triumphantly.
The judge entered.
The hearing began.
Daniel presented the forged documents.
The opposing attorney argued that Alison had authorized Gregory to negotiate the sale.
Then Gregory was called.
He approached the witness stand.
Alison watched him swear to tell the truth.
The attorney asked:
“Did Alison Reed give you permission to handle the property transaction?”
Gregory looked toward Alison.
“Yes.”
Her heart broke all over again.
“Did she ever tell you she wanted to sell?”
“Yes.”
“Did she ask you to find buyers?”
“Yes.”
The courtroom murmured.
Alison shook her head.
Gregory continued.
“She had financial problems.”
Daniel stood.
“Objection.”
The judge allowed the statement only as background.
Gregory looked genuinely sad.
“She didn't want her daughter to know.”
Alison clenched her fists.
The attorney asked:
“Was Ms. Reed under emotional stress?”
“Yes.”
“Did she sometimes forget things?”
Gregory hesitated.
“Yes.”
Christopher whispered:
“He's building the story.”
Alison understood.
Gregory was doing exactly what the documents had done.
Creating a narrative.
A vulnerable woman.
A helpful partner.
A necessary sale.
Daniel approached for cross-examination.
“Mr. Voss, you claim Ms. Reed authorized you to sell her home.”
“Yes.”
“Where is the original authorization?”
Gregory paused.
“She gave it to me.”
“Where is it?”
“I don't know.”
“Convenient.”
The judge warned Daniel.
Daniel continued.
“Did you ever tell Ms. Reed you intended to sell her home?”
“I believed she understood.”
“That isn't my question.”
Gregory looked toward Alison.
“She knew.”
“No.”
Gregory's expression hardened.
Then Daniel asked:
“Why did you have surveillance photographs of Ms. Reed?”
Silence.
Gregory's face changed.
“What photographs?”
Daniel placed them on the screen.
The courtroom erupted.
Gregory stared.
Daniel continued.
“Why did you maintain a file containing Ms. Reed's bank records?”
No answer.
“Why did you have forged custody documents?”
Still no answer.
Then Evelyn stood.
“This is harassment.”
The judge ordered her to sit.
Daniel wasn't finished.
He displayed the storage-unit photographs.
Then the journal.
Then the financial transfer showing Gregory received $600,000.
Gregory's attorney objected.
But the evidence had already changed the room.
Gregory's confidence disappeared.
Then the judge asked:
“Mr. Voss, why did you receive six hundred thousand dollars from Northbridge Holdings?”
Gregory swallowed.
“I didn't.”
Daniel displayed the bank record.
Gregory stared.
“I…”
Then Evelyn suddenly spoke.
“He was paid for consulting.”
The judge looked at her.
“Were you aware of the disputed property transaction?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“No.”
Daniel turned.
“Then why does your company appear as the intended buyer?”
Evelyn said nothing.
Alison watched her.
Then someone entered the courtroom.
A woman in her late forties.
She walked directly to Daniel.
“I'm sorry I'm late.”
Daniel's eyes widened.
“Mrs. Parker?”
The woman nodded.
She was a former employee of Northbridge Holdings.
She had worked there for seven years.
“I have evidence.”
Gregory's face turned white.
The judge allowed her to speak.
Mrs. Parker explained that Northbridge had purchased properties through coercion and fraudulent paperwork.
She had resigned after discovering forged signatures.
Then she said something nobody expected.
“Gregory Voss wasn't the mastermind.”
The courtroom went silent.
“Who was?”
Mrs. Parker looked directly at Evelyn.
“Her.”
Evelyn stood.
“That is a lie.”
Mrs. Parker pulled out a folder.
“I have emails.”
Daniel took them.
One email contained instructions to fabricate Alison's authorization.
Another instructed Gregory to establish a relationship with Alison.
Another said:
Do not rush. Trust takes time.
Alison felt sick.
Eight months.
Every dinner.
Every compliment.
Every time Gregory had held her hand.
All part of a plan.
Then Mrs. Parker said:
“There is one more thing.”
She looked at Christopher.
“Mr. Reed was never supposed to survive the original investigation.”
Alison turned toward him.
“What?”
Christopher went pale.
Mrs. Parker continued.
“They planned to make his death look like an accident.”
The courtroom erupted.
The judge ordered silence.
Then Daniel asked:
“Why did they stop?”
Mrs. Parker looked at Alison.
“Because Mr. Reed disappeared before they could reach him.”
Alison realized what that meant.
Christopher hadn't simply left her.
He had vanished.
To protect her.
And Gregory had entered her life years later.
Not knowing Christopher was still alive.
Not knowing the past would return.
The judge issued an immediate injunction freezing all disputed property activity.
Then police officers entered.
Gregory looked at them.
Evelyn looked at them.
For the first time, neither woman had anything to say.
But as Gregory was escorted away, he looked directly at Alison.
His expression wasn't angry.
It was frightened.
He whispered:
“You don't know who you're protecting.”
Alison watched him disappear.
Then she looked at Christopher.
“What did he mean?”
Christopher shook his head.
“I don't know.”
But outside the courthouse, a black SUV waited across the street.
May you like
Someone inside was watching them.
And the person behind the wheel wasn't Gregory.
