Chapter 5 - THE INVESTIGATION
Daniel agreed to meet me at a coffee shop two blocks from campus.
He arrived still wearing dress shoes from graduation but had removed his robe and tie.
The first thing he said was, “I should’ve told you earlier.”
“Tell me now.”
He nodded.
“Last semester, the medical school received an anonymous complaint about several scholarships connected to the Harlan Foundation.”
“What kind of complaint?”
“That awards were being manipulated.”
I frowned.
“Manipulated how?”
“Students who didn’t qualify were receiving money.”
My heart pounded.
“Nathan?”
Daniel stared at his coffee.
“His name came up.”
According to Daniel, the university quietly reviewed Nathan’s scholarship history after discovering that portions of his financial hardship application did not match other documents.
“He claimed his family had no assets,” Daniel said. “But somebody found records showing his parents had sold property shortly before he applied.”
“That doesn’t explain me.”
“No.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“But there was something else.”
Nathan had listed me as his dependent spouse.
That part was technically true.
But he had apparently described my employment as “temporary” and reported a fraction of my actual income.
My income.
The income from the two jobs I worked to support him.
“Why would that help him?”
“Lower household income meant more assistance.”
I stared at him.
Nathan had used my exhaustion as evidence of his poverty.
But Daniel wasn’t finished.
“The investigation disappeared.”
“What do you mean?”
“Suddenly, everyone stopped talking about it. Records were sealed. The administrator handling the review transferred to another department.”
“Harlan?”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Victoria sits on the foundation board.”
Of course she did.
I pressed both hands against my temples.
Nathan hadn’t simply betrayed me.
He had built a second life using money, lies and connections I knew nothing about.
Then Daniel said something that made the situation even darker.
“There was another student involved.”
“Who?”
“Rachel Monroe.”
The name sounded familiar.
Then I remembered.
Rachel had been in my anatomy class before I left medical school.
Brilliant.
Quiet.
Always carrying three different-colored pens.
“What happened to her?”
Daniel looked toward the window.
“She filed the original complaint.”
“And?”
“She disappeared from the program halfway through the semester.”
“Disappeared?”
“She withdrew.”
“Why?”
“Nobody knows.”
I pulled out my phone.
“I’m going to find her.”
Daniel stopped me.
“Emily.”
“What?”
His expression changed.
“I don’t think Rachel left voluntarily.”
Before I could ask what he meant, a woman approached our table.
She placed a folded piece of paper beside my coffee.
Then she walked away without saying a word.
I opened it.
Three sentences were written inside.
DON’T TRUST DANIEL COMPLETELY.
May you like
CHECK NATHAN’S APPLICATION FROM SECOND YEAR.
YOUR SIGNATURE IS ON IT.
