A MOTHER’S WORTH AND THE LINE DRAWN IN STONE

Sarah Lin entered the municipal courthouse cafeteria holding a venti black coffee and a battered leather briefcase. She looked Julian and Amy over, noting Julian’s rumpled suit and Amy’s borrowed sweater from the hospital thrift closet.

""So, the golden prince finally got a taste of Eleanor Vance’s venom,"" Sarah said, pulling out a chair and sitting down without preamble.

""She filed for temporary custody, accusing Amy of child endangerment,"" Julian explained quickly. ""She bought the testimony of her dinner guests. She has Harrison Cole.""

""Cole is an overpaid paper pusher,"" Sarah said dismissively, opening her tablet. ""Here is the issue: Eleanor has connections with Judge Miller, who oversees family court docket B. If Miller hears the petition, you lose custody by noon.""

""Can we file for a change of venue?"" Amy asked sharp-wittedly.

Sarah looked at Amy with surprised respect. ""Smart. But we don’t have time. Instead, we strike at the root. Why did Eleanor host that dinner party last night?""

""It was an investor dinner for the new waterfront commercial development,"" Julian answered, confused. ""She wanted to show family stability to the foreign consortium.""

Sarah smiled, a predatory gleam in her eyes. ""Foreign investors are hypersensitive to human rights scandals and public family disputes. Did anyone film what happened in that dining room?""

Amy paused, her eyes widening. ""The nanny cam. I put a small magnetic baby-monitoring camera on the sideboard behind the fruit bowl yesterday morning because Leo was teething.""