Chapter 10 - The Red DoorCedar Vale Behavioral and Developmental Center stood on thirty landscaped acres outside New Haven.
Its website described residential services for adolescents and adults with developmental and behavioral support needs.
Nathan had noticed that distinction immediately.
Adolescents and adults.
Not five-year-old children.
On Thursday morning, he arrived with Nora and Mara for a scheduled meeting with the facility's director.
Dr. Caroline Price greeted them in a modest conference room.
She was a middle-aged psychologist with tired eyes and a practical manner.
"I understand you're investigating a document that names our facility," she said.
Nathan placed the authorization on the table.
Dr. Price examined it.
Her expression darkened.
"This isn't ours."
Mara leaned forward.
"What do you mean?"
"The logo has been copied, but the formatting is wrong. We don't use this admissions form. And we don't have a residential program for children Eli's age."
Nathan felt a strange mixture of relief and outrage.
"Then someone invented an admission."
"It appears someone used our name without permission."
Dr. Price pointed toward the financial instructions.
"And this account doesn't belong to our organization."
Nora asked whether Cedar Vale had ever contracted with Harbor Bridge Property Services.
"Not to my knowledge."
"Have you heard of Victor Hale?"
Dr. Price shook her head.
"Or Judith Carter?"
Another shake.
Mara stared at the red front door visible through the conference room window.
It matched the photograph on the website.
The same image she'd shown Nathan after Eli pointed to the picture in his book.
"Someone showed my son this building," she said.
Dr. Price looked concerned.
"How old is he?"
"Five."
"Then whatever happened, it wasn't part of a legitimate placement process with us."
Nathan struggled to keep his voice steady.
"Could someone have arranged transportation or an assessment under your name?"
"We have no such records. If anyone represented themselves as acting for us, we need to know."
Nora took notes.
She asked for written confirmation and provided instructions for preserving the relevant documents.
Dr. Price agreed to cooperate with lawful requests.
After the meeting, Mara stood outside the red entrance.
Nathan joined her.
She watched families arriving for scheduled visits.
"That could have been us," she whispered.
Nathan looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Driving to some building because your mother convinced you Eli needed to live somewhere else."
He shook his head.
"I never would have agreed."
Mara turned.
"Wouldn't you?"
Nathan felt the question sting.
"I would never send him away."
"I believe that now," she answered. "But six months ago, if Judith had hired a convincing specialist and told you Eli needed an assessment, would you have questioned her?"
Nathan looked toward the building.
He wanted to say yes.
He couldn't.
Mara's voice softened.
"That's what frightens me."
Nathan closed his eyes.
"I understand."
They stood together for a long moment.
Then Nora approached.
"We have enough to show that the payment documents identify an entity unrelated to the real facility. But we still need to establish who received the funds."
Nathan nodded.
His phone rang.
Leah Brooks.
"I found something," she said.
"Tell me."
"Harbor Bridge Property Services was dissolved last year. But its assets were transferred to another company."
"Which one?"
"Westhaven Capital Partners II."
Nathan recognized the name.
A financing vehicle created for the troubled development.
"Who controls it?"
Leah hesitated.
"Victor Hale is listed in connection with its management. I'm reviewing the ownership documents, but there's another name."
Nathan waited.
"Judith Carter."
He stopped walking.
Mara looked at him.
Leah continued.
"The documents suggest your mother has an indirect ownership interest through a holding company."
"How much?"
"I can't confirm the full structure yet. But it could be substantial."
Nathan stared into the distance.
The trust payments hadn't merely funded a questionable vendor.
They might have been routed into an investment controlled by the very people authorizing the payments.
"There's more," Leah said.
Nathan swallowed.
"Of course there is."
"I found an internal memorandum from two years ago. It describes the Westhaven project as facing possible insolvency."
"Who wrote it?"
"Elise Park."
The accountant Judith had fired.
Nathan turned toward Nora.
"Can you locate her?"
Nora nodded.
"We'll contact her appropriately."
Leah's voice became quieter.
"Nathan, before you do, you need to know something."
"What?"
"The memorandum includes a warning about transfers involving related parties."
Nathan waited.
"And it was addressed to your father."
Nathan frowned.
"My father was dead by then."
"I know."
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Leah explained.
"The memorandum appears to have been backdated to make it look as though Henry approved the arrangement before his death."
Nathan looked at the clouds gathering over the Connecticut sky.
First his signature.
Then a doctor's.
Now his dead father's supposed approval.
Someone wasn't merely stealing money.
May you like
Someone was manufacturing a history in which everyone had agreed.
And Nathan was beginning to understand how far Judith might go to keep that history intact.
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