James guided Sarah back down onto the edge of the mattress and pulled a chair close to her side.
He kept one firm reassuring hand on her shoulder while looking directly at the senior police officer in hallway.
Colonel Miller: Officer, please explain why the police are standing inside my daughter's home today.
Officer Davis: We responded to a distress call regarding an unauthorized transfer of property deeds, Colonel.
Officer Davis: Mr. Vance here claims he has full power of attorney over your daughter's personal finances.
Sarah: That is a complete lie!
Sarah: He tricked me into signing blank paperwork when I was sick in the hospital last month!
Mark stepped forward again while wiping a bead of nervous sweat from his forehead with his plaid sleeve.
Mark: Sarah was overwhelmed with pregnancy complications, so I stepped in to manage our investments prudently!
Mark: Every transaction was completely legal and verified by my corporate legal team in the city!
James stood up slowly from his chair and walked directly toward Mark until they were inches apart.
The military officer towered over the nervous broker with the calm terrifying presence of a seasoned war veteran.
Colonel Miller: Show me the power of attorney documents right now, Mark.
Mark fumbled through a leather briefcase sitting on the nearby dresser with visibly shaking fingers and hands.
He pulled out several stapled legal pages and handed them over to James with a forced unnatural smile.
James scanned the pages quickly with trained eyes that had spent decades inspecting official military orders and contracts.
He noticed immediately that the notary stamp on the final page was dated three days before Sarah's hospital admission.
The signature at the bottom was a sloppy imitation of Sarah's distinctive handwriting that anyone could easily spot.
James looked up from the papers and locked eyes with the cowardly man standing in front of him.
Colonel Miller: You forged my daughter's name while she was fighting for her health in a hospital bed.
Mark: You cannot prove that in a court of law without an extensive document expert, Colonel!
Colonel Miller: I do not need an expert when I have the actual notary's signature record right here.
James pulled out his personal cellular phone and dialed a familiar number he knew very well from home.
The notary listed on the forged paper happened to be a retired veteran who served in James's original battalion.
He placed the call on speakerphone so everyone in the sunlit bedroom could hear the incoming audio clearly.
Notary Jackson: Colonel Miller, I never notarized any documents for Mark Vance regarding your daughter's trust estate.
Notary Jackson: He came to my office last week asking for a blank stamp, and I turned him away immediately!
Mark's face drained of all color as the loud voice echoed across the bright marble floor of the bedroom.