Chapter 7: The Nurse Who Never Existed
“Say that again,” Thomas Reed demanded.
On the other end of the phone, Brooke sniffled.
“The nurse. Her name was on the visitor log. She came into Daniel's room that night, and Mom said she was there to witness something.””
Thomas pulled a notepad from his briefcase.
“What was her name?””
“I don't remember.””
“You just said her name was on the log.””
“I saw it once! I wasn't studying it!””
“Mrs. Walker, this is important. Did you personally see this nurse enter your brother-in-law's room?””
Brooke hesitated.
“No.””
“Then how do you know she was there?””
“Because Mom told me!””
I closed my eyes.
Even now, Brooke was trying to make someone else responsible for every detail.
“Brooke,” I said, “what exactly did you take from my house?””
Silence.
“Answer me.””
“I didn't take anything valuable.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
She started crying again.
“I took Lily's notebook. Mom said you wouldn't notice because Lily had so many drawings.””
My stomach twisted.
“And the blue folder?””
“I took that, too.””
“Where is it?””
“I don't know.””
I gripped the edge of Principal Harris's desk.
“You don't know?””
“I gave it to Mom. She said she'd handle everything.””
Thomas interrupted.
“Mrs. Walker, do you have any messages, emails, or other records concerning the folder or the trust?””
“I deleted some messages.””
“Have you retained any?””
Brooke didn't answer.
“Mrs. Walker?””
“I have one.””
“Preserve it. Do not delete or alter anything else.””
I took a shaky breath.
“Brooke, you destroyed my daughter's costume today. You stole her notebook. You submitted her design under Madison's name. And you participated in an attempt to take money from her trust.””
“I didn't mean for it to go this far!””
“You poured paint over a nine-year-old's work.””
“I was angry!””
“You were holding scissors!””
Her breathing turned ragged.
Then she said something that made the room go silent.
“Mom told me the costume didn't matter because Lily would never win anyway.””
I looked toward Lily, who was sitting quietly beside Victoria.
“What did you say?””
“Mom said the foundation would disqualify Lily once they saw the complaint. She said destroying the costume would just make sure you couldn't prove what Lily had actually made.””
Thomas stopped writing.
“Mrs. Walker, are you saying the destruction was planned in advance?””
Brooke began sobbing.
“I just wanted Madison to have something. I didn't think anyone would investigate the papers.””
“You thought you could steal your niece's future because your daughter deserved a prize?”” I asked.
“I thought we could fix it afterward!””
“How?””
She had no answer.
I ended the call.
My hands were shaking so badly that Thomas gently moved the phone away from the edge of the desk.
“Emily, I know this is difficult, but you need to let the evidence speak for itself. Preserve the call details and any messages Brooke sends you. Don't confront anyone alone or attempt to retrieve documents yourself.””
I nodded.
Victoria sat beside Lily and opened a small notebook.
“Lily, can I ask you something about your original design?””
Lily looked at me.
I squeezed her hand.
“You can answer if you feel comfortable, sweetheart.””
Victoria spoke gently.
“Do you remember the first time you drew the butterfly?””
Lily nodded.
“Daddy was sitting with me at the kitchen table. He helped me draw the body, but I made the wings.””
“What made you choose those colors?””
“Daddy said butterflies don't have to look like everyone expects. I wanted mine to look like the sky right before the sun comes up.””
Victoria smiled sadly.
“That's a beautiful idea.””
Lily looked down at the ruined costume.
“I wanted the lights to turn on when I moved my arms.””
“Did you design that part yourself?””
“Yes. I tested different wires until they worked.””
Victoria made a note.
“Thank you. You don't have to discuss anything else today.””
Lily nodded, visibly relieved.
I watched Victoria close the notebook. She wasn't treating Lily like a piece of evidence. She was treating her like a child who deserved to be heard.
That mattered more than I could explain.
A few minutes later, Thomas received a call from his office. He listened, asked two questions, then ended the call with a troubled expression.
“What is it?”” I asked.
“My office located the hospital's archived correspondence relating to Daniel's estate planning. There's a reference to a visitor-log discrepancy from the night Brooke mentioned.””
My mouth went dry.
“Does it name the nurse?””
“No. But it indicates that someone requested a correction to the visitor record after Daniel's death.””
“Who requested it?””
Thomas turned his screen toward me.
The request had been submitted under my father's name.
I stared at the timestamp.
It was dated three days after Daniel's funeral.
“Dad changed the hospital record?””
“We don't know that he personally made the change,” Thomas replied.
“The request bears his name, but we need to establish who submitted it and whether it was authorized.””
Victoria stood.
“The foundation will preserve all its records and cooperate with any legitimate inquiry. However, this now extends beyond our scholarship process.””
Thomas nodded.
“I agree.””
Then the office door opened again.
Principal Harris entered with a woman wearing a gray cardigan and an employee identification badge.
“Emily, this is Denise Miller. She's a former patient-services coordinator from the hospital where Daniel was treated. She contacted the school after hearing there was a dispute involving his records.””
The woman looked nervous.
“I didn't know what to do,” Denise said.
“I saw the news about the scholarship online this morning, and then someone mentioned Daniel's name in a local parents' group.””
Thomas stood immediately.
“Mrs. Miller, did you work at the hospital during Daniel's final week?””
“Yes.””
“Do you know anything about the visitor log?””
Denise swallowed.
“I remember the night because a man came to the nurses' station asking for access to Daniel's room. He wasn't listed as an approved visitor.””
My chest tightened.
“Who was he?””
She looked at me.
“I can't be certain of his identity. I only saw him briefly.””
“Did you let him in?””
“No. I asked him to show identification.””
“What happened?””
“He said he was a family friend. When I refused, he became angry and called someone on his phone.””
Thomas leaned forward.
“Can you remember what he said?””
Denise closed her eyes.
“He said, 'Your daughter has no idea what he signed.''”
The room went utterly still.
I stared at her.
“Your daughter?””
Denise nodded.
“That's what I heard.””
Thomas slowly closed his briefcase.
“Mrs. Miller, would you be willing to provide a formal statement to the appropriate investigators?””
“Yes.””
“Thank you. Please don't discuss this with anyone else until we've established the facts.””
Denise nodded and left with Principal Harris.
I turned toward Thomas.
“Who was that man?””
He looked at the sealed documents in front of him.
“I don't know yet.””
Then he picked up Daniel's original estate file and pointed to a line in the correspondence.
“There is, however, one detail we need to examine immediately.””
I leaned closer.
The line listed a second person who had requested access to Daniel's estate documents.
It wasn't Brooke.
It wasn't my mother.
It wasn't my father.
It was someone Daniel had trusted enough to give a spare key to our house.
May you like
Someone who had been at his bedside on the night the blue folder disappeared.
And according to Thomas's records, that person had signed a confidentiality agreement promising never to disclose the contents of Daniel's final instructions.
