The petition arrived five days later. A manila envelope left on my doorstep. Emergency custody. Barbara Hutchkins versus Derek Wyatt.
I stood in my kitchen while Ellie was at school and read every lie. Emotionally unfit. Financially irresponsible. Unstable housing. Erratic and threatening behavior. Unsafe environment. Barbara wanted temporary custody while the case proceeded.
For a moment, I felt real fear. Not because any of it was true. Because courts are places where lies become dangerous if they arrive wearing formal language.
Dana came over an hour later with a briefcase and a grim face. “This is aggressive,” she said, spreading the petition across my table. “But aggressive does not mean strong.”
We went point by point. My income. My mortgage history. Ellie’s school records. Medical records. Teacher letters. Pediatrician letters. References from neighbors. A folder of photos showing birthdays, soccer games, school events, field trips, spelling certificates, and the normal, steady life Barbara was trying to erase with accusations.
Dana built it all into a binder. Color-coded tabs. Financial support. Parenting records. Medical stability. School involvement. Character witnesses. Barbara’s dependency on my money. “This,” Dana said, holding the binder up, “is how we win.”
The preliminary hearing was at the Crestwood County Courthouse. Barbara arrived in a gray dress and pearl earrings, looking like someone’s fragile grandmother. Her attorney, Roger Pruitt, argued that I was volatile and that Barbara had been a “stabilizing force” in Ellie’s life.