That was the exact moment the process server walked into the pavilion.
He was a middle-aged man in a polo shirt and khakis with a clipboard. He asked for Richard Cole by name. He handed him the divorce petition and waited patiently while Richard signed for it with a hand that, according to Patty, wasn’t entirely steady.
Then the process server turned to Madison.
He handed her a preservation notice, formally instructing her not to delete any messages, emails, banking records, or data from her phone.
Madison’s confidence evaporated on the spot.
“Dad?”
Richard grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the parking lot. Eleanor followed right behind them.
“What did you do?” Eleanor demanded. “What did you two do?”
“It wasn’t theft,” Madison said quickly. “The transfer didn’t even go through.”
Eleanor stopped walking.
“Why were you transferring Claire’s money in the first place?”
