Chapter 9 - The Price of Silence
Mr. Keller was not a mystery for long. Judith's financial examiner found a recorded lien involving a failed construction project, and public court records showed that Ryan personally guaranteed a six-figure business loan.
"He's under financial pressure," Naomi said. "That suggests motive, not proof of fraud. Don't confuse the two."
I wished she would stop being careful. Then I realized her care was the reason anyone was taking me seriously.
At work, a supervisor asked me to come into her office. Someone had emailed the hospital claiming I abandoned my child and used prescription drugs to stay awake during shifts. The complaint included a photograph of me asleep in a chair. It had been taken at home after a sixteen-hour shift, my hospital badge still around my neck.
"We're required to review allegations involving patient safety," my supervisor said. "We also know an accusation isn't evidence."
I agreed to the appropriate review and asked for the email to be preserved. By the time I returned to my car, I was shaking with exhaustion. They hadn't just tried to take Lily. They were trying to make it impossible for me to keep the job that paid for her care.
Tessa met me outside her front door with a bowl of warm soup. "Eat before you read another message," she ordered.
Lily was at the table. She'd drawn two people holding hands in thick blue crayon. I asked who they were.
May you like
"Me and Mommy," she said. Then she pointed at the empty space. "Daddy can come when he's nice."
That night an unfamiliar number sent me a photograph of the locked filing cabinet in Diane's office. The message said: THERE'S A SECOND SET OF PAPERS. RYAN DIDN'T WRITE ALL OF THEM.
