Chapter 16 - The Money Meant for Children
The attempted transfer was forty-four thousand dollars. It was headed to the same event company that had billed Briarwood for safety equipment it never installed.
"Can it be stopped?" I asked.
"The bank has flagged it," the accountant, Talia Reed, said. "We've requested a hold while the investigators review it."
"Who authorized it?"
"Vivian's credentials were used. That doesn't prove who was at the computer. We have an access log for the detectives."
I almost laughed at the absurd care required by truth. It was so much easier to stand beside a pool and shout at the wrong woman.
The center's board appointed an independent auditor. Peter resigned as treasurer and handed over his passwords and records. Mason supplied a written account of the gate alarm being disabled, and the catering company preserved the original video for investigators.
None of those actions restored the lessons the canceled families had lost. With Nora's help, Grace and I arranged temporary classes at the municipal pool, where safety checks were current and staff had their own authority to stop unsafe sessions.
"Don't put my name on a giant donation sign," Nora told me. "I just want the children to have somewhere safe to learn."
"No sign," I promised.
That evening Lily watched me pack towels for the relocated classes. "Are we going?"
"Only if you want to. You can watch from outside."
She shook her head. "I'm scared of the big water."
"That's okay."
"Were you scared when you yelled at Nora?"
I sat on the floor so we were eye to eye. "I was terrified. I thought I'd lost you. But I was wrong to yell at someone who helped you."
May you like
Lily frowned. "Then why did you believe Miss Vivian instead of me?"
I had no answer that would make that question smaller.
