Chapter 10 - The Family Business
I met Marianne at Hannah’s office three days later.
Her attorney came with her.
Mine sat beside me.
No one offered coffee.
The bank records lay between us.
Thirty thousand from the account that held Noah’s money.
Another thirty thousand after withdrawals from the twins’ savings.
“What was this for?” Hannah asked.
Marianne adjusted her watch.
“A loan.”
“From whom?”
“My daughter.”
“Did you know the source of the funds?”
“No.”
That might have been true.
I no longer confused suspicion with proof.
“What did she tell you?” I asked.
Marianne looked at her attorney before answering.
“That you were helping her settle family expenses.”
“What expenses?”
A pause.
Then, “Personal debts.”
I thought about her telling me to handle things privately.
Of course she wanted privacy.
It had been profitable.
Hannah slid another document forward.
An email Victoria had sent me weeks earlier, forwarding what appeared to be confirmation that Noah’s hospital had received the donation.
The accountant had noticed that the account number didn’t match the hospital’s payment information.
The supposed confirmation was false.
Marianne stared at it.
For the first time, her confidence slipped.
“She told me the child’s treatment was covered.”
“It wasn’t.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You knew Emily needed help.”
“I knew what Victoria told me.”
“So did I.”
That ended the conversation for several seconds.
Finally, Marianne said, “I can return part of the money now.”
Hannah made a note.
No forgiveness was exchanged.
No bargain about criminal charges was offered.
Money returning did not erase where it had been taken from.
After the meeting, I drove to the hospital.
Noah was sitting up, building a crooked tower from plastic blocks.
Emily stood at the window.
“His numbers are improving,” she said.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“That’s good.”
“It is.”
I told her what we had learned.
She listened without interrupting.
When I finished, she asked one question.
“Did she ever mean to help us?”
I couldn’t answer.
That was an answer.
Noah called from the bed.
“Mom, look.”
The tower fell before she turned.
He laughed.
Emily smiled at him, then looked back at me.
“There’s another reason she hated me,” she said.
I waited.
“The night before this happened, she asked me to sign something.”
May you like
“What?”
“A statement saying I was the one who took the money.”
