“They would not tell me.”
“Did you show them the death certificate?”
“Yes. They said the account holder had appeared in person and ended the rental.”
I stared at her.
“That is impossible.”
“I know.”
“When?”
Rachel’s voice dropped.
“Six weeks after Claire died.”
The next morning, Mercer arranged a meeting with a financial crimes investigator named David Chen. He was quiet, methodical, and careful not to promise answers before seeing evidence.
We met at the police station while Rachel stayed with Emma.
Chen reviewed the forged scholarship statement, the enrollment application, and the photograph of the folder.
“Fraud involving educational charities can remain hidden for years,” he said. “A school can report assistance it never actually provides, then move matching funds through related organizations.”
“Would Emma’s name be useful?”
“Yes. A real student creates a believable paper trail.”
“Why forge Claire’s signature?”
“To show parental consent. Or to connect the application to an older file already bearing her name.”
He enlarged the photograph of the blue folder.
“There’s a symbol here.”
I leaned closer.
Near the bottom corner was a faint silver mark shaped like a tree with seven branches.
