Chapter 18
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When Emily and Rachel pulled up to the heavy iron gates of Clearview, the scene was completely chaotic. Two local police cruisers were parked on the street, their lights flashing, while a sleek, ominous-looking private medical transport van idled nearby. Senator Harrison Thorne stood near the gates, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, looking like a deeply concerned husband for the benefit of the small crowd of onlookers that had gathered.
Robert stood firmly on the other side of the locked iron gates, his cane planted solidly on the ground, holding a thick binder of legal statutes. He was fiercely debating a frustrated police captain.
Emily stepped out of the car and walked directly toward the gates, ignoring the reporters who were beginning to snap photographs. She walked right past Harrison Thorne without even acknowledging his existence and approached the police captain.
"Captain, I am Emily Whitmore-Hayes, the founder and executive director of this foundation," Emily said with absolute authority. "I understand you have a court order for a psychiatric hold on one of our residents."
"Yes, ma'am," the captain sighed, looking deeply uncomfortable with the situation. "Senator Thorne provided sworn affidavits from two state-appointed psychologists declaring his wife is experiencing a severe paranoid breakdown. By law, we have to transport her to a secure medical facility for a seventy-two-hour evaluation."
"By law, an emergency psychiatric hold requires the patient to be an immediate physical danger to themselves or others," Emily countered smoothly, her voice carrying clearly over the noise of the street. "Sarah Thorne has been voluntarily evaluated by our on-staff, board-certified psychiatrist this very morning. She is of perfectly sound mind and is currently filing a massive federal fraud lawsuit against her husband."
Harrison Thorne stepped forward, dropping his facade of the grieving husband for a brief, terrifying second. His eyes were cold and full of venom.
"You are interfering with a medical emergency, Emily," Thorne warned, his voice low and threatening. "If you do not open these gates, I will have you arrested for obstruction and kidnapping."
"You aren't a doctor, Senator," Emily replied, turning to face him fully, unafraid. "You are a fraud. And the medical facility you want to send her to is owned by a subsidiary of Apex Financial. We know about the offshore accounts. We know about Marcus Vance."
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Thorne froze. The absolute certainty that he was untouchable shattered in an instant. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He looked at the police captain, then at the growing crowd of reporters who had just heard the phrase "federal fraud lawsuit."
"Captain," Emily continued, turning back to the officer. "If you force entry into a federally protected domestic violence sanctuary without a federal warrant, I will personally ensure your department faces the largest civil rights lawsuit in the history of this state. Tell the Senator to leave."
