Chapter 9 - The Signature That Wasn't His|
Lucia brought the photograph to Gabriel's study at eleven that night.
He was reviewing the financial records Anthony had provided when she placed her phone on the desk.
“Read this.”
The image showed a document headed PRIVATE FAMILY TRUST — MEDICAL DISCLOSURE AUTHORIZATION.
Gabriel's signature appeared at the bottom.
He recognized the shape of his name.
He did not recognize the signature.
“I never signed this.”
Lucia nodded.
“I know.”
The document authorized the family trust to collect, store, and distribute medical information concerning immediate family members. It also allowed the trustees to make financial decisions based on anticipated medical expenses, insurance risk, and long-term care requirements.
Anna's name appeared on the second page.
Her diagnosis was not listed, but the document had been amended six weeks earlier.
The date matched the day she received her first treatment.
“Who changed it?” Gabriel asked.
“Peter Lang.”
“Why would he need my signature?”
“To make the amendment appear legitimate.”
Gabriel stared at the page.
“Did you know about this?”
“I knew Peter was reviewing the trust's medical provisions. I did not know he had forged your signature or accessed Anna's records.”
“Why didn't you tell me that the trust was collecting medical information in the first place?”
Lucia sat down.
“Because your father established it after he became ill. He believed the family needed a way to prepare for emergencies without exposing private matters to outsiders.”
“And Peter turned it into a surveillance system.”
“Yes.”
Gabriel pushed the phone away.
“How much does he know about Anna?”
“I don't know.”
“Then we find out.”
Lucia watched him for a moment.
“Gabriel, there's something else.”
He looked up.
“Peter has been moving money from the trust into a company registered under a different name. I discovered the transfers last month, but I didn't know what they were for.”
“Why didn't you report them?”
“I wanted to understand what I was looking at before I accused someone who has managed this family's finances for ten years.”
Gabriel laughed without humor.
“Everyone keeps waiting for certainty while the damage gets worse.”
Lucia accepted the rebuke.
“I thought I was being careful. I may have been wrong.”
He examined the transfer records.
The payments had gone to a company called Northstar Medical Services. The company had no public office, no visible employees, and no clear business purpose beyond several contracts with private clinics.
One payment had been made to the cancer center treating Anna.
Gabriel felt his pulse quicken.
“Did Northstar pay for her treatment?”
“No. The payment was made to a records-management department.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
He called Marco.
Within twenty minutes, his security chief had traced Northstar to a registered address in a commercial building on the outskirts of Chicago. The building housed several private offices, including a consulting firm that had once employed Peter Lang.
“Bring Peter in,” Gabriel said.
Marco hesitated.
“Do you want the police involved?”
“Yes. This is no longer a private family matter.”
After the call, Gabriel returned to Anna's room.
She was awake, reading a book beneath the bedside lamp. Her hair was now short enough to reveal the delicate curve of her neck, and the sight still made his chest ache.
He sat beside her.
“I need to tell you something.”
She closed the book.
“What happened?”
“Someone forged my signature to authorize the collection of your medical information. The document was connected to my family's trust.”
Anna's face went still.
“Who did it?”
“We believe Peter Lang.”
“Your mother's adviser?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We're investigating.”
She looked away.
“I'm tired of that word.”
“I know.”
“No, Gabriel. I'm tired of being told that someone is investigating while my life keeps changing around me. I want to know what this means for my treatment. I want to know whether anyone has interfered with my care.”
“I don't have evidence that anyone changed your medical treatment.”
“But you don't know that they didn't.”
He swallowed.
“No. I don't.”
She placed the book on the nightstand.
“Then I want to speak to Dr. Reed. I want a full review of my medical records, and I want someone independent to confirm that my treatment decisions have been made by my doctors—not by your family, not by a financial adviser, and not by a man who thinks my illness is a problem to be managed.”
“Agreed.”
“And I want you to stop investigating this behind my back.”
He nodded.
“You'll know what I know.”
She studied him.
“Even if it frightens me?”
“Especially then.”
Anna took his hand.
“Thank you.”
He kissed her forehead and stayed until she fell asleep.
The following morning, Dr. Reed reviewed her records with an independent specialist. They found no evidence that anyone had altered the prescribed treatment, but several administrative requests had been made without Anna's informed consent. The center began a formal privacy review and restricted access to her information.
For the first time in weeks, Gabriel felt that one part of the situation had been placed back where it belonged: in the hands of qualified people who were accountable to Anna.
Then Marco called.
Peter Lang had disappeared.
His office had been cleared overnight, his bank accounts had been emptied, and his home had been left unlocked.
On his desk, investigators found a sealed envelope addressed to Gabriel.
Inside was a copy of the forged authorization.
Beneath it, Peter had written a single sentence.
Your wife isn't the reason this started.
Gabriel read it twice.
Then he turned the page.
May you like
The second sentence was worse.
Your father began collecting these records because he believed someone in your family was dying—and he wanted to know who would inherit the empire.
