I had thought it was about taxes.
Asset protection.
Family planning.
“What exactly is in my trust?” I asked.
Evelyn’s silence stretched too long.
I sat straighter despite the pain.
“What is in my trust?”
“Apex voting control.”
“I know.”
“Several real estate interests.”
“I know.”
“Your father’s intellectual property.”
“I know.”
“And one dormant holding company.”
My breathing slowed.
“Name?”
Evelyn answered carefully.
“Mercer North Holdings.”
I had seen the name.
Years ago.
Buried in appendices.
No listed value.
No operations.
No revenue.
I had assumed it was an empty legacy entity my father had forgotten to dissolve.
“How many shares?”
“One hundred.”
“Who owns them?”
“You.”
“And what does Mercer North own?”
Evelyn looked directly at me.
“The right to authorize distributions from Lake Mercer.”
No one spoke.
Even Detective Ruiz appeared stunned.
I stared at Evelyn.
“That makes no sense.”
“I know.”
“A bank does not hold billions of dollars waiting for one woman to sign a distribution form.”
