Chapter 6 - The Buyer Behind the Curtain
The answer was printed on the last page of the packet: HARTWELL URBAN PARTNERS. The proposed sale would move the shelter out of downtown and sell the lot for luxury apartments.
“Who authorized this?” Ruth asked.
Mara opened a binder. “The trust's board approved exploring options in September.”
“Show me the vote.”
Three names appeared. Walter. Camille. And a third signature in blue ink, supposedly mine.
“I wasn't at that meeting,” I said.
Mara rubbed her forehead. “I brought up questions about the vote. Camille told me you preferred privacy.”
Daniel examined the page. “Nora was with Owen for a medical appointment that day. We have records.”
Ruth was already dialing. “I need a lawyer named Helen Price. She helped write the original trust.”
“I thought Helen retired,” Daniel said.
“People retire from offices, not from knowing where bodies are buried.”
Mara managed a weak smile. Outside, children were eating sandwiches in a drafty hallway. A small boy waved at Owen through the office window, and I felt something harden inside me.
I knelt beside Mara. “No one leaves tonight just because of that notice. Have you spoken to legal aid?”
“Not yet.”
“Then I'll help call. And we'll document every conversation.”
Daniel looked at me. “I'll call the bank in the morning and report your forged signature.”
“Tonight,” I said. “We leave a message tonight.”
A blue sedan rolled past the front windows for the second time. Its driver wore a dark cap and slowed near the entrance.
Mara followed my glance. “That car's been here since this afternoon.”
Daniel took a photo through the glass. The sedan drove away.
Five minutes later, a message lit my phone from an unknown number.
STOP DIGGING. ASK DANIEL WHAT HAPPENED ON JULY 17.
May you like
I showed him.
He read it, then whispered, “That's the day Dad asked me to bring him Owen's medical folder.”
