“They did not move,” Lewis said. “They signed an agreement and transferred him.”
He pulled another item from the envelope: a photograph of a wooden cabinet filled with old school badges, medals, and commemorative pins.
My eyes fixed on it.
“Where is this cabinet?”
“In the archives room behind the auditorium.”
I showed him Claire’s sheet music.
His face changed the moment he saw the handwriting.
“You knew my wife?”
“Not personally.”
“But you recognize this?”
Lewis sat back, troubled.
“Nine years ago, Mrs. Carter visited Westbridge with a state arts education committee. They were reviewing grant programs. She asked questions about missing music funds.”
I could barely process his words.
“What happened?”
“She found records that didn’t match. The school claimed scholarships had been awarded to families who never received them. Your wife wanted to report it.”
“Did she?”
“I don’t know. A week later, Principal Halloway told the staff the review had ended.”
Claire had never told me.
Or perhaps she had tried, and distance had swallowed the conversation before it began.
“Why would she hide a message in sheet music?” Mercer asked.
Lewis looked at the photograph.
“The badge cabinet used to belong to the music department. There’s a locked compartment underneath.”
“Do you have access?”
“Not anymore. Halloway changed the archives keys last year.”
Mercer stood.
“We will obtain lawful access. No one is going there alone.”
