She held up a piece of paper. «And here is the withdrawal slip. Mr. Simmons, can you tell the court what you used that two million dollars for?»
Keith stayed silent. His throat was dry.
«I’ll help you,» Catherine said. «You bought cryptocurrency. Specifically, an untraceable coin that you stored on a cold storage hard drive. A hard drive that is currently sitting in a safety deposit box at the Grand Central Branch of Chase Bank, box number 404.»
Keith’s jaw dropped. «How? How did you…»
«I’m Catherine Bennett,» she said simply. «Finding money is what I do. Now here is the problem, Keith. You didn’t declare that two million. You didn’t declare the crypto. And you certainly didn’t share it with your wife.»
Catherine leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper that carried across the silent room. «You mocked my daughter for not having a lawyer. You thought she was stupid. But the only stupid thing in this room, Keith, is thinking you could steal two million dollars, hide it in a box, and then parade your girlfriend around Miami while my daughter clipped coupons to buy groceries.»
«I didn’t steal it!» Keith shouted, cracking under the pressure. «It’s my money! I earned it! She just sat at home painting stupid pictures. She didn’t contribute anything. Why should she get half of my genius?»
The courtroom went dead silent. Judge Henderson looked at Keith with pure disgust.
«Mr. Simmons, did you just admit on the record that the money exists and that you intentionally hid it to prevent your wife from receiving her equitable share?»
Keith looked at the judge, then at Garrison. Garrison had his face buried in his hands.
«I…» Keith stammered.
«No further questions for this witness,» Catherine said, turning her back on him. She walked back to the table and sat down next to Grace. Grace was crying silently. Catherine reached out and took her daughter’s hand, squeezing it tight.
«It’s okay,» Catherine whispered. «He’s done.»
Garrison Ford was a man who prided himself on survival. He had navigated the treacherous waters of New York high society divorces for twenty years. He knew when to fight, when to settle, and, most importantly, when to cut a rope to save his own neck.
As Keith Simmons stumbled down from the witness stand, looking like a man who had just gone twelve rounds with a heavyweight boxer, Garrison was already doing the mental calculus. Keith had just admitted to perjury and fraud in open court. The judge was furious, and sitting across the aisle was Catherine Bennett, a woman who had the power to not only win this case but to file ethics complaints that could strip Garrison of his license.
«Garrison,» Keith hissed as he collapsed into his chair. «Fix this. Do something. Object to the hard drive evidence. Say it was obtained illegally.»
Garrison didn’t look at his client. He began packing his briefcase.
«What are you doing?» Keith asked, panic rising in his voice.
Garrison stood up. He buttoned his jacket. «Your Honor,» Garrison said, his voice steady, «at this time I must respectfully move to withdraw as counsel for the plaintiff, Mr. Simmons.»
Keith’s eyes bulged. «What? You can’t quit. I paid you a $50,000 retainer!»
«Mr. Simmons,» Judge Henderson said, peering over his spectacles. «We are in the middle of a hearing. This is highly irregular.»
«Your Honor,» Garrison continued, choosing his words carefully to avoid violating privilege while saving his own skin. «An ethical conflict has arisen that makes it impossible for me to continue representing this client. As an officer of the court, I cannot suborn perjury. Based on the testimony my client just gave, my continued representation would compromise my professional obligations.»
Translation: he lied, he got caught, and I’m not going down with him.
«You coward!» Keith screamed. He lunged at Garrison, grabbing the lawyer’s lapel. «I pay you, you work for me!»
«Bailiff!» Judge Henderson shouted.
Officer Kowalski moved with surprising speed for a big man. He grabbed Keith by the back of his expensive suit and slammed him back into his chair. «Sit down and shut up or you’re going to a holding cell,» Kowalski growled.
Keith sat, breathing heavily, his tie askew. He looked around the room. He was alone, truly alone.
Judge Henderson looked at Garrison. «Mr. Ford, I am not granting your withdrawal at this moment. You will sit there and you will ensure your client’s rights are protected until this hearing concludes. After that, you can file whatever motions you want. But you are not leaving this courtroom.»
Garrison’s face fell, but he nodded. «Yes, Your Honor.» He sat down, moving his chair a distinct two feet away from Keith.
Catherine Bennett watched this display with a cool detachment. She stood up again.
«Your Honor,» she said, «since Mr. Simmons’s counsel is still present, albeit reluctantly, I would like to call my next witness. This witness goes to the issue of character, specifically regarding Mr. Simmons’s petition for spousal support, which, I might add, he had the audacity to file against my daughter.»
«Call your witness,» the judge said, sounding exhausted.
«I call Sasha Miller,» Catherine said.
Keith’s head snapped up. «No,» he whispered. «She wouldn’t.»
The doors at the back of the courtroom opened again. A young woman walked in. She was stunningly beautiful, wearing a modest navy dress. She looked terrified. She walked past Keith without looking at him.
Keith reached out a hand. «Sasha, baby, don’t.»
She flinched away from him as if he were radioactive. Sasha took the stand. She was sworn in.
«Ms. Miller,» Catherine said gently, «thank you for coming. I know this is difficult. Can you tell the court your relationship to the plaintiff, Keith Simmons?»
Sasha took a shaky breath. «I… I was his girlfriend for the last two years.»
«Was?» Catherine asked.
«Yes,» Sasha said, her voice gaining strength. «I broke up with him this morning.»
«Why did you break up with him this morning, Ms. Miller?»
Sasha looked at Keith. Her eyes were filled with tears, but also with anger. «Because,» she said, her voice trembling, «because Mrs. Bennett showed me the text messages Keith sent to his other girlfriend in Chicago.»
The courtroom erupted. Even the judge looked shocked.
«Order!» Judge Henderson banged the gavel. «Order!»
Keith looked like he was going to be sick.
«Ms. Miller,» Catherine continued, unfazed by the noise. «Did Mr. Simmons ever discuss his wife, Grace, with you?»
«All the time,» Sasha said. «He told me she was crazy. He said she was a burden. He said…» She paused, looking at Grace with pity. «He said he was going to destroy her in court. He bragged about it. He said he was going to leave her with nothing, just for the sport of it. He called it ‘taking out the trash’.»
Grace covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly.
«He told me,» Sasha continued, her voice rising, «that he had a lawyer who was a killer, and that Grace was too stupid to fight back. He said he was going to make her homeless, so she would have to come crawling back to him, begging for help. He said he wanted to own her.»
Catherine let the words hang in the air. They were ugly, they were cruel, and they were the final nail in Keith’s coffin.
«Thank you, Ms. Miller,» Catherine said softly. «No further questions.»
Catherine turned to Garrison Ford. «Cross-examination?»
Garrison looked at Keith, who was staring at the table, defeated. Garrison looked at the judge. «No questions, Your Honor.»
Judge Henderson took off his glasses and cleaned them slowly with a microfiber cloth. He didn’t look at the papers in front of him. He looked at Keith Simmons.
«Mr. Simmons,» the judge began, his voice dangerously low. «In my twenty years on the bench, I have seen some truly despicable behavior. I have seen people fight over dogs, over silverware, over children. But I have rarely seen a display of arrogance and malice quite like this.»
Keith didn’t look up.
«You came into my courtroom,» the judge continued, his voice rising, «and you mocked the judicial process. You mocked your wife. You attempted to weaponize this court to abuse a woman you swore to protect. You committed perjury. You committed fraud.»
The judge turned to Grace. «Mrs. Simmons, I owe you an apology. The court should have protected you sooner.»
Grace nodded, wiping her eyes. Catherine put an arm around her.
«However,» Judge Henderson said, putting his glasses back on, «I am now in a position to rectify that.» He picked up his pen. «I am issuing a temporary ruling immediately. The final judgment will follow once Ms. Bennett’s team completes a full forensic audit of Mr. Simmons’s assets—every single penny.»
«First,» the judge ruled, «I am freezing all assets belonging to Keith Simmons, Apex Ventures, and any other entity he controls. Access is granted solely to Mrs. Simmons and her counsel.»
Keith groaned.
«Second, I am awarding Mrs. Simmons immediate exclusive use and occupancy of the marital residence on Fifth Avenue and the Hamptons property. Mr. Simmons, you have two hours to vacate. You may take your clothes and personal hygiene items. That is it. If you remove a single piece of furniture, a single painting, or a single light bulb, I will have you arrested.»
«Third,» the judge said, looking at Garrison Ford. «Mr. Ford, I am referring the transcript of today’s hearing to the District Attorney’s office for potential charges regarding perjury and wire fraud against your client, and I suggest you cooperate fully if you wish to keep your license.»
«Yes, Your Honor,» Garrison said quickly.
«Finally,» the judge said, looking at Catherine. «Ms. Bennett, regarding legal fees.»
Catherine smiled. «Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Simmons will pay one hundred percent of Mrs. Simmons’s legal fees. Given your standard hourly rate, I imagine that will be substantial.»
«Very substantial, Your Honor,» Catherine agreed.
«Court is adjourned.» Judge Henderson banged the gavel.
As the room cleared, Keith sat there, stunned. His life was over. In two hours, he had gone from a multi-millionaire playboy to a potential felon with nowhere to sleep.
He looked up to see Catherine and Grace packing their things. Grace looked different. She stood straighter. The weight was gone. Keith stood up, his legs shaky. He walked over to them.
«Grace,» he rasped. «Grace, please, you can’t do this. Where am I going to go?»
Grace looked at him. She didn’t look angry anymore. She just looked done. Before she could answer, Catherine stepped in between them. She towered over Keith, even though they were the same height. Her presence was a physical wall.