“Clara,” she said, her voice shaking.

“Patricia,” I replied, keeping my hands at my sides.

“You have to stop this,” she said, taking a step forward.

Robert moved slightly, placing himself between us on the polished tile floor.

“Mrs. Mercer, you shouldn’t be here,” Robert said, his tone professional and flat.

“I am talking to my daughter-in-law,” Patricia snapped, though her eyes remained wide and panicked.

“Former daughter-in-law,” I corrected.

“They took him, Clara,” she whispered, her lip trembling as she looked past Robert to me.

“They put handcuffs on him in my own driveway.”

“I know,” I said. “Vanessa just called me.”

Patricia winced at the mention of Vanessa’s name, a flicker of her usual disdain crossing her face before desperation took over again.

“They’ve frozen his accounts,” she said, her fingers digging into the leather of her bag.

“They’ve frozen everything, even the joint household accounts.”

“That is standard procedure during a federal investigation into asset concealment and wire fraud,” Robert said.

Patricia ignored him, looking directly at my face.

“He needs a defense team, Clara,” she said.