Chapter 9 - The Test
Isabella spent the morning fighting the urge to answer every cruel comment she saw online.
Mara put her phone in a drawer.
“You’ll speak in court,” she said. “First, we find out how Celia moved the money.”
Elias had traced most of it to property purchases held by shell companies. The money was real, but the supposed clinic was nothing more than a set of drawings and a fundraising video.
“There’s still two million in an account Celia can reach,” he said. “She hasn’t moved it.”
“Why?” Isabella asked.
“She needs a second signature.”
“Mine?”
“Your foundation role was revoked when you turned in your badge. It now requires Dante’s.”
Isabella thought of Celia’s petition. If Celia made her look unstable, Dante might side with his aunt to protect the foundation.
“We can test her,” Isabella said.
Mara looked up. “How?”
“Tell Dante the board is freezing every account on Friday. Celia will try to move it before then.”
“We can’t lie about a board action.”
“Then call an emergency meeting and vote on it.”
Mara’s mouth twitched. “That we can do.”
The board met by video that afternoon. Isabella showed them the missing permits and the false invoices. Three directors were furious. One looked frightened. The vote to freeze spending passed unanimously.
Dante attended from his office. He watched Isabella throughout the meeting but didn’t speak until it ended.
“Celia says those companies are real,” he said.
“Ask her to show you the clinic.”
“She says the delays were caused by a contractor.”
“Ask for a street address.”
He lowered his eyes. “I will.”
That evening, Calder obtained authorization to monitor the account. Elias watched from his office while Isabella waited beside him.
At 8:36 p.m., Celia initiated a transfer.
It failed.
At 8:39, she called Dante.
Calder had asked him to record any conversation about the funds, and he had agreed. Isabella listened to the recording later.
“You need to sign,” Celia told him.
“Where is the clinic?”
“Dante, this isn’t the time.”
“Then tell me where it is.”
A chair scraped at Celia’s end.
“I kept your family out of prison,” she said. “Sign the form.”
“For what?”
“Because if they open those records, they’ll learn what happened at the hospital.”
Dante’s voice changed.
“What happened to my son?”
Celia hung up.
Isabella listened to the last line three times. Dante had sounded as lost as she felt.
Then Mara’s phone rang.
She answered, listened, and looked at Isabella.
“The DNA result is back.”
Isabella’s hands went cold.
Mara took a breath.
“Leo is your son.”
Elias pulled out a chair for her. Isabella sat, covered her mouth, and began to cry.
Mara was still on the phone. Her expression tightened.
“What else?” Isabella asked.
“The report lists a second parent match.”
“Dante?”
May you like
Mara shook her head.
“Not according to the sample they used.”
