Chapter 3 - THE FLAWD JURISDICTIONMara’s eyes narrowed for a microsecond. Just half a second.
It was the microscopic crack in her armor I had been waiting for.
"The... the county clerk of Westchester," Thorne answered quickly, stepping in to cover her hesitation. "Filed properly through the standard municipal registry. Everything is entirely above board."
I let out a soft, low chuckle.
"Westchester," I repeated, walking slowly toward the desk. "That's fascinating. Because three weeks before my father passed away, his medical chart explicitly noted he was too weak to be transported off the estate grounds without an emergency medical escort and a court-approved travel waiver."
I pulled a crisp, folded document from my leather briefcase and laid it flat on the desk.
"Furthermore," I continued, my voice steady and crystal-clear, "state law mandates that any marriage license executed for a patient under palliative hospice care must be witnessed by a state-appointed neutral magistrate and two independent medical officers—none of whom were present at this estate."
Mara sat up straight, her calm exterior finally beginning to fracture. "That... that's a lie. Thorne checked all the boxes."
"Thorne checked the boxes for a standard municipal filing," I corrected her, leaning over the desk so she could see the certified state seal on my paper. "He forgot to check the jurisdiction. You filed the license in Westchester, Thorne. But this estate sits entirely within the municipal borders of Putnam County."
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Thorne’s face turned the color of curdled milk. He snatched the paper from the desk, his eyes darting frantically across the legal citations.
"Putnam... Putnam County?" Thorne stammered, looking down at Mara. "You said he was registered in Westchester!"
