Chapter 5 - The Second File|
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Sonia Alvarez hiding somewhere, frightened because she'd tried to protect money intended for children.
By morning, I'd made a decision.
I was no longer going to wait for wealthy people to decide whether the truth mattered.
I called Detective Torres and showed her the message.
She immediately asked me not to contact Sonia through unfamiliar numbers or arrange a private meeting without police involvement.
I agreed.
Three hours later, Sonia called the detective directly.
She was safe at her aunt's apartment on the other side of Chicago.
But she'd packed a suitcase and left her own home after finding someone had entered her office and searched her desk.
That afternoon, I accompanied Detective Torres to a small interview room at the police station.
Sonia was waiting inside.
She was a petite woman in her forties, with tired brown eyes and a sweater that looked as though she'd been sleeping in it.
The moment she saw me, she began crying.
"Grace, I'm so sorry."
I sat beside her.
"For what?"
"For telling you the grant was processing."
She wiped her cheeks.
"I knew something wasn't right."
I remembered every extra shift I'd worked to pay for Lily's lessons.
Every grocery item I'd put back at the checkout counter.
Every time my daughter had apologized for needing new shoes.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Sonia looked at the detective.
"Because Matteo Bellini said anyone discussing financial matters with recipients would be fired."
Torres opened her notebook.
"Tell us about the second file."
Sonia reached into her handbag and removed a small flash drive.
"I started keeping copies after the third complaint."
She explained that the foundation maintained two sets of reports.
The first showed which children had been awarded scholarships.
The second recorded which payments had supposedly been completed.
For months, those reports had appeared to match.
But when Sonia compared the dates against the correspondence families had sent her, the problems became impossible to ignore.
Some parents had never received checks.
Others had been told their awards were still awaiting approval.
Yet the accounting system listed their grants as paid.
"I asked the finance office to investigate," Sonia whispered.
"Matteo told me the parents were lying."
Torres examined the files on a secure computer.
Several payment records contained the same authorization reference.
Others showed reimbursements to outside vendors that Sonia didn't recognize.
One vendor name appeared repeatedly.
Vale Event Services.
I frowned.
"Who are they?"
Sonia looked uncomfortable.
"Marcus Vale owns the company."
The name sounded familiar.
Then I remembered.
Marcus Vale had been sitting near Matteo at the gala.
He was a handsome, silver-haired businessman who had donated fifty thousand dollars during the evening's fundraising appeal.
I'd served him champagne.
He'd barely looked at me.
"What's his connection to the foundation?" I asked.
Sonia swallowed.
"His company organizes several foundation events."
Torres raised her eyes.
"And who approves those contracts?"
Sonia answered so quietly I nearly missed it.
"Matteo."
The detective didn't immediately draw a conclusion.
She explained that unusual records weren't enough by themselves to prove where the money had gone.
The investigators would have to obtain bank documentation, verify who authorized the transfers, and establish whether the supposed recipients had ever benefited.
But the files gave them specific transactions to examine.
For the first time, I felt there might be a path through the confusion.
When the interview ended, Sonia caught my hand.
"Grace, I saw Lily's performance."
I smiled weakly.
"She was wonderful, wasn't she?"
"She was."
Sonia hesitated.
"Your daughter wasn't supposed to be removed because of scheduling."
"I know."
"No, I mean there was a reason Matteo chose her."
My smile faded.
Sonia explained that Lily's scholarship application had been selected for a promotional feature.
The foundation planned to introduce her as an example of its success.
Her photograph, audition score, and grant amount had been prepared for the gala presentation.
"Matteo saw the publicity sheet that afternoon," Sonia said.
"He asked whether anyone had confirmed the Miller family had received the money."
My heart began pounding.
"What did you tell him?"
"I said you'd called several times asking when the payment would arrive."
Sonia lowered her head.
"Five minutes later, he ordered your daughter's name removed."
I stared at the wall.
Matteo hadn't excluded Lily because she lacked talent.
He'd excluded her because she might reveal the stolen grant.
My daughter's humiliation had been an act of concealment.
That evening, I took Lily to her regular dance class.
The other children crowded around her, asking about the gala.
One girl called her famous.
Another asked whether she was rich now.
Lily shook her head.
"No, I just danced."
I stood outside the studio window and watched her practice.
She made mistakes.
She started again.
And I realized that was what courage looked like when nobody was applauding.
My phone rang.
It was Detective Torres.
"Grace, we've obtained a preliminary image from the bank's security footage."
I moved away from the studio door.
"Did you find whoever signed the check?"
"We're still working on identification."
Her voice became cautious.
"But you need to see this."
A secure image arrived moments later.
It showed a woman standing near a bank counter on the date Lily's check had been deposited.
Her face was partly obscured.
But her clothing was unmistakable.
A black uniform.
A white collar.
May you like
And a white apron.
Exactly like the one I wore at the Bellini mansion.
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