Chapter 9 - The Other Parent
The attachment Kelly forwarded was a consent form for an "extended behavioral enrichment retreat" outside Dallas. It allowed the program to interview Maya, collect school records, and reserve a place for a six-week winter program. Nothing had been finalized. My wife's signature was on the request, along with a statement that Maya's parents were considering the placement.
"I refused," Kelly said. "I told Tiffany there was no reason to send her away."
"And she told me you recommended it," I said.
We looked at each other. The distance between Phoenix and Plano felt engineered.
An attorney named Lena Ortiz reviewed the documents that afternoon. She was direct, practical, and unimpressed by Tiffany's insistence that every signature was "household consent."
"Don't call a school form a custody order," Lena said. "It isn't one. But it may show a pattern of misrepresentation. Preserve the originals. Don't access any accounts you're not entitled to use. And tell me everything, including what you ignored."
I hated that last part. It was the part I could prove without anyone else's help.
Rae called while we were leaving. She sounded sick.
"I booked two sessions because Tiffany said your daughter liked helping," she told me. "I believed her. I've sent you the invoices and the video from my phone. I don't want any of it online."
On the video, Maya was on a small ladder wiping a cabinet. Tiffany stood just outside frame and said, "Start over. Guests pay to see the standard."
Maya quietly replied, "My arms hurt."
A long pause followed. Then Tiffany said, "Would your father want people to think he can't raise a responsible girl?"
I set the phone down.
There was more footage. Near the end, Tiffany looked straight toward Rae's camera and smiled.
May you like
"Next month," she announced, "we're moving our strongest student into an intensive program."
She was talking about my daughter.
