Shorter but at least it hasn't taken me too long this time. It's coming to a head...

It had been a restless night made all the more so by the nightmares which had plagued her. The dreams seemed to wend their way through her disturbed sleep. In each of them William seemed to be just out of reach, on a plane or in meetings in Asia and whenever he tried to return her call the phone wouldn't work: she could hear him but he couldn't hear her. It was urgent that they speak. Caroline Bingley, dressed in a navy blue suit, was working as an immigration agent trying to take her away. Her attorney was none other than Billy Collins and Billy was talking and talking and with each word her hope of escape seemed to move farther away. If only he would stop talking and call someone, William, Matthew or Uncle Henry, someone who could do something to stop Caroline. She woke with a start to find herself tangled in the sheets, alone in their bed. It was a little after 6 and Lizzy realized that William had likely taken himself off for a run. Several minutes passed before her racing heart began to slow. It was only a dream and she was fine. The stress from the prior day and the conversations about Billy Collins antics must have triggered it. Lizzy tried to settle her mind and go back to sleep. She had three classes today and would never make it through if she didn't get some decent sleep. William found her tossing and turning forty-five minutes later and after making her a cup of camomile tea and sitting with her for a few minutes to rub her back before he headed off to clean up. Tea, seeing William's face, and the steady drumming of the shower must have been enough to settle her mind and send her back to sleep. The next time she woke it was already 9:30 and William had left. A note on the kitchen counter alerted Lizzy to his whereabouts - a meeting at his uncle's office in Boston. Lizzy was surprised. She didn't recall him mentioning the meeting but they'd been so preoccupied with the failed immigration visit yesterday that she figured it slipped his mind. She had just enough time to grab a quick breakfast and get to class.

William had woken with a start. He wasn't sure but he thought he might have been kicked. Lizzy seemed restless and he took a few minutes to stroke her hair and back before deciding to get a start on his day. His muscles were stiff and a bit of exercise would set him up well. Lizzy would still sleep for a few more hours and he knew he'd have plenty of time for a nice long run today. It was a good call. The run cleared his mind allowing him to order his thoughts and actions for the rest of the week. His upcoming meetings with Pemberley's board, members of the marketing faculty at HBS, and one with his advisor, along with coming up with a plan for Georgie's spring break were all weighing on his mind...Not to mention yesterday's failure of a meeting with immigration. The failed trip to their local Office of Homeland Security still weighed on him. While he could work out a plan for all of his other duties, this one lacked a clear path towards resolution except for simply waiting. Just the idea of sitting around waiting pushed him to run harder.

It was clear that Lizzy'd had a difficult night. She was sleeping peacefully after drinking her tea. Her sweet face smiling gently against the pillow. Hopefully she was having the dreams she deserved. The ringing of his phone pulled him from his rumination's towards the living room, hoping to silence the noise before Elizabeth's sleep was once again disturbed.

"Hullo?"

"Morning William. I hope I didn't wake you."

Breathing a sigh at the familiar voice, William relaxed, "Uncle Henry. It's good to hear from you. I just got out of a shower."

"Good. I was hoping you might be able to stop by this morning."

With his curiosity peaked William quickly agreed. It was a rare enough event that his uncle asked him to stop by his office that William wasted little time getting himself ready and out of the house, taking long enough to leave a brief note for Lizzy so she wouldn't worry.

After quickly greeting the woman manning the reception desk, William made his way into the familiar office only to find Uncle Henry sitting with his cousin Matthew Fitzwilliam. "Matthew, I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Does this sudden meeting have to do with Elizabeth? Should I have brought her along?"

The Senator began speaking before Matthew had a chance to open his mouth. Pointing to a chair, he began, "William. Thanks for coming this morning. Matthew was simply filling me in on yesterday's immigration meeting. Very frustrating. I wish I could do something more for you and Elizabeth but I think it's better to remain on the sidelines unless things become critical. I hope you understand." The senator looked tired and upset but William didn't really think it was about their failed meeting yesterday and he was right. "I didn't call you both here for that discussion however. Rather, Matthew and I've been doing some work on this codicil business and the more we've dug into it, the murkier it becomes. It makes sense to update you before we push farther into this investigation."

Williams brows shot up on his head. This was not the preamble he'd been expecting and it definitely got his attention. "Perhaps I should sit down and get a cup of that coffee you always seem to have on hand."

The three men settled into chairs and Uncle Henry began to recall the work that had begun in January. William was surprised. He of course knew his uncle had offered to have the codicil investigated but hadn't appreciated how much he and his cousin had taken on. That Matthew's father, the lawyer who served as witness on the codicil, had been incapacitated by stroke at the time of it's signing, was a surprise. That there were some suspicious circumstances surrounding the notary who had certified the document raised the hair on the back of his neck.

It was Matthew who continued the briefing. "I apologize that when you first came to me, I didn't look past my father's name and do some basic work. It actually wasn't too hard to unravel once I applied myself and another piece fell into place late last night when I was reviewing mail my assistant have left for me. I thought it best to speak in person about all this so we can discuss next steps; hence the hasty meeting."

Before William could acknowledge Matthew's words, his uncle jumped in. "William, if, after you hear all of the sorted details, you decide to get a warrant to gain additional information against my sister, I will stand by you, even if it is disclosed publicly. The potential political fallout is nothing to the pain I believe she has inflicted on you."

It was a shocking statement but as it turned out, not as shocking as the information he was about to hear. Matthew pulled out a journal and set it on the table along with a stack of documents as he began speaking. "I'm thankful Henry pointed out the date of the codicil. I hadn't realized it was dated around the time of my father's first stroke. The dates were a bit of a blur to me but once Henry pointed out the coincidence I knew exactly where to begin." Flipping open a page in the diary, Matthew handed the book to William. "It didn't take my mother more then five minutes to locate her journal from that year. I was amazed with the detail she maintained. She'd be an excellent historian. Not only could she provide me with information on dad's stroke but also a complete list of visitors who had come to see him during his recovery. The journal shows that my father's stroke was several days before the codicil was witnessed. The list of hospital visitors was even more interesting. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me assure you, there is no way he could have witnessed that document as it was presented to you. Once I determined my father wasn't capable of witnessing a document on the appointed date, I needed to see if perhaps the date was simply wrong. My father was an excellent lawyer but could not type or use a computer to save his life. He dictated everything for his secretary or perhaps a paralegal to transcribe. I needed to make sure there wasn't a translation mistake. But searching through the archives I could find no record of this document. I asked my assistant to work with our IT team to search as well. They managed to locate a number of documents my father had worked on in the weeks leading up to his stroke. My assistant and I personally reviewed each one and could not find anything resembling the codicil, even appended to another document. There were other documents drafted for George Darcy, including some regarding the disposition of portions of his estate, but none of them were related to Georgiana's guardianship."

"So what does that mean...that you couldn't find it?" William wanted to be sure he understood the full implications of everything being shared and, as fellow lawyers, Uncle Henry and Matthew both understood William's desire to be explicit.

"We are required to retain all client-related documents. If you believe our systems, this document was not created by anyone at Fitzwilliam, Fitzwilliam & DeBourgh. The only record we have of it was scanned into our system on a date after it's signing. We don't have any drafts or an original in our systems." Matthew stood up and began to pace the floor. William was completely focused, eyes following his pacing and wondering where the story would go. Knowing he had an audience, Matthew continued. "The problem is that only proves the firm may have poor document retention policies or poor controls on its document creation given the date could not be correct if the document was legal. Not a good outcome. Even more strange, the notary who witnessed the document was the person who scanned the document into our files, not my dad's secretary or his paralegal. It didn't take me long to determine the next obvious place to investigate was the notary. As you know, there are very strict rules notary's must adhere to. That someone certified my father's signature, when we all know he was paralyzed on his right side and unable to sign documents, let alone retain the mental capacity to be a witness, was certainly questionable. Unfortunately, the notary is no longer employed at our firm. It took me some time to figure out what happened to her. I recently learned she passed away within three months of validating the codicil."

William groaned. Exasperated he asked, "What does that mean? Excuse me for the double entendre but does that me we're at a dead end?"

"At first I thought so, but then I went back to my mother's diaries. You see, the name of the notary was familiar but not from knowing her at the Firm. It was my mother's lists of visitors. According to mom's records, Mrs. Baker, that's the name of the notary, regularly visited my father while he was in the hospital, often on the same dates as dear cousin Catherine. My interest was especially heightened when I was finally able to review the notary's file. Within it contained a thank you note, retained in the file from the daughter of the notary, a Ms. Ruth Baker. Apparently Ms. Baker wasn't sure to whom she should send a thank you note for fully covering the costs associated with her mother's funeral and burial. Her note mentioned a Mrs. DeBourgh, for her 'care and solicitude in seeing to her mother's every need in her final months of life.' Ms. Baker's mother suffered from a form of rapidly progressing early onset Alzheimer's. Apparently Mrs. DeBourgh cited that 'her charity towards the Baker family was in recognition of Mrs. Baker's service to our firm and the family specifically.'" The potential import of these words was not lost on the men.

"Last night my secretary provided me with three pieces of information, each vital to this story. First, was a review of any and all payments made by the firm, to members of the Baker family. Second, the list of charitable payments made by the partnership in the year of Mrs. Baker's death. Lastly, the name and current address of the daughter. I was thinking of paying Ruth Baker a visit to better understand Catherine's role in her mother's final days. As much as I wish we'd been so generous as to pay for our former employee's funeral costs, there was no such gift made by the firm or its partners."

Several minutes passed as William let this information sink in before asking, "What if she won't talk to you?"

"That's up to you William. We've got enough information I believe that, if she won't share the details we need, we could likely get a court order to get the records of payments to Mrs. Baker, her family, and her estate for some period before my father's stroke and through the time of the Mrs. Baker's passing."

By the look on their respective faces, it was clear the thought of a warrant held no appeal. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I wonder if, based on the information we have thus far, we could bluff our way with Aunt Cathy."

Henry spoke for the first time in several minutes. "We might, but I'm not sure that will be sufficient and I'd rather you try and speak with the daughter first. It would seem she'd be positively inclined towards members of the firm. Matthew, you could simply point to your mother's journals and ask to know more about her mother as she was clearly someone who knew your father. I'm sure between the two of you, you might cajole the full story from her without fully disclosing your intent."

Darcy grunted, thinking about the information shared and fingering the journal once again. "I guess. Matthew, when do you want to try and meet this Ms. Baker?"

"I can't imagine delaying. I can try to call her to see if there is a time we can meet downtown. She works at an investment firm nearby."

"That makes sense. I want this done with. I still can't believe all the twists and turns. Thank you for pursuing this so diligently. I owe you a lot Matthew. I'm not sure how to repay you."

"Just guarantee you'll maintain Pemberley's business with the firm and send Lizzy over to make enchiladas for my daughter periodically. That will be payment enough," Matthew laughed.

"All that goes without saying. But I'll find another way to show my thanks. You've been such a great help to me and my family. You've really gone well above and beyond."

It seemed Matthew was actually embarrassed by the compliments. William understood and chose to leave off on saying more. Checking his phone, William was frustrated to find it powered off. "Do you know what time it is? My phone battery seems to have died. I must've forgotten to charge it last night."

Henry looked at his desk clock, "It's just about lunchtime. I imagine my assistant has ordered us something to eat. Let me check with her."

Henry returned a few minutes later along with bags of sandwiches from his favorite spot. "Do not tell Sophia about this or I'll never forgive you."

"Sam LaGrassa's. You're spoiling us Senator," Matthew joked as he rubbed his chest recalling the heartburn from his last visit to the Senator's office.

"Only the best for family," Henry smiled.

William looked at the clock on the desk again and, clutching his phone asked, "Do you have a charger I could borrow for my phone? I prefer to be available to Lizzy and Georgie."

"I'm sure someone out front can find you one. Why don't you leave your phone with them to charge while we have lunch."

Having left his phone in the hands of the receptionist, William joined the men and their sandwiches. His uncle certainly knew how to cheat on the prescribed diet from his doctor. With a concerned look William spoke, "I hope you don't indulge too frequently uncle."

"No, no, only on special occasions, like when learning that my sister is bending the law to suit her own purposes."

"I'm glad you can have a sense of humor about this. I'm still astounded by everything you've said. I hope this woman will speak with us and give us something more to go on than the speculations we have right now," William frowned.

Lizzy was deep in thought about her upcoming classes and didn't hear the doorman to calling out to her until she was almost out the door. "Luis, I'm sorry. I'm lost in my own world here."

"Senora Darcy, no need to apologize. I had just called upstairs but must have missed you. The man who just left was looking for you. When you didn't answer he left and started walking towards campus I think."

Lizzy peaked out the door to see if she could recognize the person walking away. She was torn as to what she should do, approach him or try to avoid him. Only a moment passed before the decision was taken from her. He'd turned and noticed her. Quick, long strides brought him back to the building.

"Elizabeth Darcy?"

Warily she answered, "I'm Elizabeth. How may I help you."

Flashing a badge he introduced himself. "I'm Ronald Carson from the Office of Homeland Security. I understand I missed you when you were at our offices yesterday and was hoping we could speak now. You're welcome to travel with me to our offices or I'm happy to meet here."

Lizzy needed a few moments to think. Despite his badge and flash of her immigration file, Lizzy was uneasy meeting with a virtual stranger in her home or traveling alone with him in a car and so opted to call a cab. "I'll meet you at the office. Let me call a taxi."

Mr. Carson seemed to accept her lack of willingness to travel with him and quickly moved towards his car leaving behind his business card in case there was difficulty meeting up. After calling a taxi, Lizzy began trying to reach William or Matthew. Frustratingly, neither were answering their phones, William's going straight to voicemail. Next on her list was Uncle Henry. An unfamiliar voice answered the phone.

"Hello, may I speak with the Senator please?"

"May I ask who is calling?"

"This is his niece Elizabeth Darcy. I'm trying to reach my husband with whom I believe the Senator is currently meeting." She was trying to sound calm although she really wasn't.

"I'm sorry but the Senator left strict instructions not to be disturbed. I'm happy to give him your message once they conclude."

"The situation is quite urgent, can you please interrupt them or get the Senator's assistant for me?"

"I'm sorry but she is out today and I simply can not interrupt the Senator. He left me very strict instructions."

Lizzy hung up the phone, realizing this was getting her no where. Sophia Fitzwilliam was her next call but unfortunately she wasn't answering either. The following fifteen minutes were filled with repeated calls to William, Matthew and Sophia. She finally reached Matthew's wife Chloe who had the number for Matthew's assistant. The taxi was just pulling up in front of the federal building when Lizzy connected with her lawyer's office. The assistant quickly understood the urgency and agreed to find Matthew if she had to pull him out of his meeting herself. Mr. Carson was waiting outside for her and escorted her inside the building.

I thought this was a decent place to stop for now. Flying back and forth to Cali has given me some writing time although this part of the story was tricky to write. So much happening! I'm grateful for this "signs of life" from readers after my last chapter. I got worried after leaving you all for so long that you might have lost interest. Comments, constructive criticism, questions are all welcomed :) They keep me going...