Chapter 6 - THE MONEY BEHIND HER BEDROOM
Michael didn't answer.
He stared at the payment schedule as if he'd never seen it before.
I knew that expression.
He'd used it whenever I discovered an unfamiliar charge on our credit card.
Whenever money disappeared from our joint account.
Whenever I asked why he needed another loan.
“It's complicated, Lauren.”
That was always his answer.
Dante looked at the document.
“Then explain it simply.”
Michael straightened his jacket.
“Ruth's property trust has been helping with family expenses for years.”
I stared at him.
“Helping?”
He nodded.
“Your mother wanted Sophie to be comfortable.”
“My mother helps pay for Sophie's school supplies. Sometimes her clothes.”
I pointed toward the document.
“She didn't agree to finance an apartment where you're planning to live with another woman.”
Michael looked irritated.
“That's not how this was presented.”
“How was it presented?”
He said nothing.
Marian slowly turned over the payment schedule.
“The proposal describes the Carter trust as a family sponsor.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone represented that the family would contribute toward the child's accommodation.”
“Who represented that?”
Marian looked at Michael.
“He did.”
My stomach tightened.
“Did you speak to my mother?”
“No.”
“Did you ask whether she knew about it?”
Marian lowered her eyes.
“No.”
Dante watched her carefully.
“Why not?”
Marian took a slow breath.
“Because Michael was already an approved property vendor. I relied on the information he supplied.”
“You're responsible for families in crisis,” Dante said. “Not simply renting apartments.”
“I know.”
“Then you should have recognized the conflict.”
Marian didn't argue.
For a moment, she looked older than she had when I'd entered the room.
“Harbor House has been struggling,” she admitted.
Dante's expression changed.
“Struggling how?”
“Two of our corporate sponsors withdrew this spring. We had empty units and families on the waiting list who couldn't afford the required deposits.”
She looked toward Michael.
“He offered a guaranteed arrangement that would keep one of our buildings operating.”
Dante shook his head.
“And in exchange?”
“His company would receive six months of rental payments.”
“While your program reported a successful family placement.”
Marian looked down.
“Yes.”
I stared at her.
“You used my daughter to fill an apartment?”
Her eyes filled.
“I told myself she needed somewhere safe.”
“She already had somewhere safe.”
Marian couldn't meet my eyes.
I wanted to shout.
But Sophie was sitting beside me.
So I leaned toward her instead.
“Baby, are you getting tired?”
She nodded.
“A little.”
Dante looked toward Marco.
“Could you bring a blanket?”
Marco returned with a soft gray throw.
I wrapped it around Sophie's shoulders.
She leaned against me.
For a moment, I concentrated on the warmth of her small body.
On her steady breathing.
On the fact that she was still here.
Then I looked back at Michael.
“Did you transfer money from Mom's account?”
He shrugged.
“I manage the bills.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
“I prepared the payments.”
“Did you send them?”
He hesitated.
“Not yet.”
Marian checked the schedule.
“The first contribution is marked pending.”
I exhaled.
At least there was still time to stop it.
But I remembered how many times Mom had asked me whether her rental income was being deposited correctly.
Michael always told her everything was fine.
I'd believed him.
I looked toward Dante.
“Can I have copies of these pages?”
He nodded.
“They belong with your records, not mine.”
Michael suddenly leaned forward.
“You have no right to interfere with my business.”
Dante didn't raise his voice.
“My foundation has a right to examine how its money is being used.”
Then he turned toward Marian.
“I want every payment tied to this arrangement suspended pending an independent review.”
Marian nodded.
“Yes.”
Michael looked furious.
“You're destroying a legitimate program over a domestic dispute.”
Dante stared at him.
“No. I'm preventing a child from being used to justify payments nobody properly authorized.”
Claire had been silent for several minutes.
Now she stood.
“Michael, you told me the apartment was being provided because Sophie needed protection.”
“She does.”
“From Lauren?”
He didn't answer.
Claire looked toward Sophie.
The little girl was resting her head against my arm.
“She doesn't act afraid of her mother.”
Michael exhaled.
“Claire, you don't understand what Lauren is like at home.”
I almost laughed.
Neither did Claire.
She'd heard stories about me.
But she'd never lived with me.
She'd never watched me hold Sophie through a fever.
Or help her find her lost homework.
Or sit beside her after a bad dream.
She only knew the version of me Michael had created.
Claire looked toward me.
“I'm sorry.”
I nodded once.
But I wasn't ready to make her feel better.
Dante turned toward Marian.
“Was Sophie supposed to stay in Room 214 for the entire six months?”
Marian frowned.
“That was one option.”
“One?”
“The agreement allowed the family to request another participating property.”
Michael shifted in his chair.
I noticed.
Dante did, too.
“Where?”
Marian turned a page.
“Anywhere within our approved housing network, subject to availability and the applicable legal permissions.”
Michael interrupted.
“We never discussed moving anywhere else.”
Sophie lifted her head.
“Yes, we did.”
I looked down.
“What, baby?”
She reached into the pink overnight bag again.
“Daddy said this was our big surprise.”
She pulled out a folded blue ticket sleeve.
Michael went completely still.
“Give me that, Sophie.”
I held his gaze.
“No.”
Dante watched while I opened the sleeve.
Inside were three train tickets.
Michael Bennett.
Claire Ward.
And Sophie Bennett.
The departure was scheduled for Saturday morning.
Chicago to Milwaukee.
I stared at the destination.
“Wisconsin?”
Michael stood.
“It's a weekend trip.”
Claire looked confused.
“You told me we were visiting your friend for two nights.”
Michael glanced at her.
“We are.”
But Sophie shook her head.
“No.”
She looked up at me.
“Daddy said we weren't coming back until the judge made you stop asking for me.”
I couldn't breathe.
Dante carefully took the ticket sleeve.
He looked at the dates.
Then at Michael.
“You've arranged an emergency custody hearing for Friday morning.”
Michael said nothing.
“And you've already booked tickets to take your daughter across state lines Saturday.”
“That's not illegal.”
“That depends on the circumstances and what the court orders,” Dante replied.
He placed the tickets beside the intake papers.
Then looked toward Claire.
“Did you know Lauren hadn't agreed to any of this?”
Claire slowly shook her head.
“No.”
Michael's face hardened.
Dante looked back at him.
“Then tell us exactly what you expected to happen after tomorrow's hearing.”
Michael opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, Sophie pulled something smaller from the ticket sleeve.
A yellow luggage tag.
She placed it in my hand.
On the front were her initials.
On the back was a handwritten instruction.
Do not give Lauren the forwarding address.
May you like
And beneath it, in Michael's unmistakable handwriting, were three words.
No contact permitted.
