“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
The regret in her voice prevented my anger from becoming accusation.
Rachel folded her arms tightly.
“She also said she had discovered something involving a school grant. She thought people had been using children’s names to move money through charitable accounts.”
“Westbridge.”
“She never said the name.”
“She visited Westbridge.”
Rachel turned.
“How do you know?”
I showed her the brochure and Claire’s handwritten note.
Rachel pressed her fingers against her lips.
“She told me she had hidden copies of the records somewhere safe. She said if anything happened, I should find a man named Thomas.”
“Thomas who?”
“She would not tell me.”
“Why?”
“She said names were dangerous if written down.”
I stood and began pacing.
“This makes no sense. Claire was a music teacher, not an investigator.”
“She was serving on a state arts committee.”
“I know that now.”
“She started noticing that certain grant recipients appeared in reports but not in classrooms. Instruments were supposedly purchased, yet schools never received them. Scholarships were assigned to students whose parents knew nothing about them.”
“Like Emma.”
Rachel nodded.
