Chapter 14 - The House With the Red Door
The drawing led them to a small house outside Dayton.
It had a red front door, peeling white paint, and a swing hanging from a maple tree. The foster family had told Sophie that her birth mother lived there before she died. The story was false.
A neighbor recognized the woman who had brought Sophie to school. She had visited the house several times, always carrying envelopes.
Nina obtained a warrant. Inside, investigators found a locked cabinet filled with medical records, adoption papers, and photographs of children. Some files were marked with payments from the Elise Whitmore Foundation.
Victor had not only stolen company money. He had used it to manipulate adoptions, move children, and create leverage over people who might expose him.
Graham sat on the porch while investigators carried boxes out.
Lucy came to stand beside him.
“My father found this,” she said. “That’s why they ruined him.”
“Daniel tried to protect all of them.”
“He protected me. He gave me a home. He never told me I was a secret.”
Graham looked at her. “He sounds like a better man than I was.”
“He was a good man. But don’t turn him into a saint. He made mistakes. He kept things from me because he thought he could carry the danger alone.”
Graham nodded. He understood that kind of mistake too well.
Inside, Nina called them over.
A folder had been hidden beneath the cabinet lining. It contained a list of names, dates, and payments. One name was circled in red.
Maya Chen.
Lucy went still. “Why is Maya on that list?”
Nina read the note beside the name.
“Witness relocation. Payment authorized by Victor Hale.”
Lucy shook her head. “Maya was never relocated. She’s been with me for years.”
Graham’s phone rang.
Maya.
He answered.
A man’s voice came through.
May you like
“Tell Lucy to come alone,” he said. “Or her friend dies.”
Then the call ended.
