Chapter 8: The Missing Page
By the time Janelle reached the principal's office the following morning, the story had escaped the school.
A local news website had published an article about questions surrounding Westbridge's original student fund. It didn't accuse anyone of a crime, but the headline mentioned missing documents, a former project engineer, and an investigation into historical financial transfers.
Parents were sharing the article.
Former students were commenting beneath it.
And someone had posted a photograph of Janelle's lunchbox.
The caption read:
The girl who exposed the Whitmores.
Janelle hated it.
She hadn't exposed anyone. She had picked up something her father had given her, and an adult had recognized it.
Everything else had happened because people were finally looking at records that should never have been hidden.
When she entered the office, Principal Brooks was on the telephone.
“Yes, I understand the concern,” she said.
“But we will not discuss an active investigation with reporters. The district will release verified information when appropriate.””
She ended the call and motioned for Janelle to sit.
“Your mother called me this morning,” the principal said.
“She's worried about the attention.””
“So am I.””
“That's understandable. I have arranged for additional supervision around the school entrance, and the district is documenting the threatening message you received.””
Janelle placed her backpack on the floor.
“Did they find out who accessed the archive?””
“Not yet. The access card was registered to a senior foundation administrator. That doesn't establish who used it.””
“Could Richard have used it?””
“He could have, but we need records and testimony before making that determination.””
Janelle looked through the office window toward the hallway.
Carter stood near the lockers, speaking with a man in a charcoal suit.
His father.
Richard handed him a folded sheet of paper. Carter read it, then looked toward the principal's office.
Their eyes met through the glass.
Carter's expression tightened.
He crumpled the paper in his fist and walked away.
Janelle turned back.
“Does Carter know about the investigation?””
“His father is aware of it, and Carter has been interviewed about the cafeteria incident. Beyond that, I can't tell you what they have discussed.””
“But he knows something.””
“Perhaps. We shouldn't assume what.””
Principal Brooks opened a folder.
“The district has received a formal request from the Whitmore family's attorneys to suspend the review of the foundation records until they can verify the documents' authenticity.””
Janelle stared at her.
“Can they do that?””
“They can request it. The district has not agreed.””
“Why would they want to stop it if everything is legitimate?””
“That question is exactly why we must proceed carefully. We cannot assume guilt because someone challenges an investigation. We also cannot allow a legal objection to erase legitimate concerns.””
The principal paused.
“There's another development. Daniel Price has agreed to provide a sworn statement about the ledger and the meeting he missed with your father.””
Janelle felt a small measure of relief.
“Good.””
“But he has also told our counsel something he didn't mention at the library.””
“What?””
“He received a second call the night your father died. This one came after the accident was reported.””
Janelle's fingers tightened around the strap of her backpack.
“What did the caller say?””
“Daniel remembers the caller telling him that Marcus had died before he could deliver the documents. He believes the caller knew about the planned meeting.””
“Did he recognize the voice?””
“No. He said the call was brief, and he was too shocked to think clearly.””
Janelle looked down.
Someone had known her father planned to deliver the records.
Someone had known Daniel was expecting him.
And someone had apparently known about the accident before Daniel could verify what had happened.
She took a slow breath.
“Can we find out who called?””
“The phone records are being reviewed. It may take time.””
Janelle hated that answer.
Time had already taken six years from her.
But she understood that rushing could destroy the very evidence they were trying to preserve.
After school, she went home with Denise and found her mother waiting at the kitchen table with a cardboard box.
“I went through the rest of your father's papers,” Denise said.
Janelle pulled out a chair.
“Did you find something?””
“I found a letter I thought I'd lost.””
Denise placed a folded sheet between them.
It was addressed to her father in the handwriting of Richard Whitmore.
The date was several months before Marcus died.
Janelle opened it carefully.
Marcus,
We need to settle the student fund issue before the next board meeting. I understand your concerns about the transfer records, but public disagreement will damage the foundation and the school.
I suggest we sign the revised report and resolve any remaining discrepancies privately.
Please remember that we built this institution together. We should not allow a disagreement over bookkeeping to destroy years of work.
The letter was signed Richard Whitmore.
Janelle looked up.
“He wanted Dad to sign a report he didn't agree with.””
“That's what it looks like,” Denise said.
“Why did you keep this?””
“Your father left it on his desk. I put it in a folder when I packed his office.””
Janelle turned the paper over.
At the bottom, in her father's handwriting, was a note.
Refused. Original addendum remains binding.
“What addendum?”” Janelle asked.
Denise shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Janelle photographed the letter and sent it to Principal Brooks, who forwarded it to the district's counsel.
That evening, the principal called.
“The letter is important,” she said, “but we need the original agreement to understand what Marcus meant by the addendum.””
“The agreement that was stolen.””
“Yes.””
Janelle stared at the faded blue sticker on her lunchbox.
“Dad kept copies of everything. Could he have hidden a copy somewhere else?””
“Possibly. Did he have a safe, a locked cabinet, or another place where he stored important documents?””
Janelle thought about the basement office in their old house. Her mother had already searched the boxes there.
Then she remembered something.
Her father had once shown her a hollow compartment inside his old wooden toolbox. He used it to keep spare keys and tiny screws away from her when she was little.
The toolbox was still in their storage closet.
“Mom,” Janelle called, “where's Dad's old toolbox?””
Denise looked puzzled.
“Under the winter blankets, I think. Why?””
Janelle rushed to the closet.
The toolbox was dusty, its red paint chipped at the corners. She carried it to the kitchen table and opened the lid.
Inside were pliers, measuring tapes, a rusted hammer, and a collection of small metal parts.
Janelle remembered her father showing her how to repair a loose chair leg. He had removed a small wooden panel beneath the tray, revealing a narrow compartment.
She pressed the same spot.
The panel clicked.
Beneath it lay a folded sheet wrapped in plastic.
Janelle carefully removed it.
It was a photocopy of the original foundation agreement.
At the bottom was a separate page bearing two signatures and a clause printed in bold.
*No transfer, reassignment, or redirection of protected student funds shall be valid without written authorization from both founding partners or their legally designated representatives.*
Below the clause was another paragraph.
If either founding partner became unable to fulfill his duties, his voting rights concerning the protected fund would pass to the designated representative named in a sealed succession document.
Janelle read the next line.
Her father's representative was listed as Denise Carter.
Her mother sat down slowly.
“Me?””
Janelle turned the page.
“Yes.””
Denise stared at the signature.
“I never saw this.””
The final paragraph explained that the designated representative could request a complete audit of the protected fund and challenge any transfer made without the required approval.
Janelle felt her pulse accelerate.
“My dad made you responsible for the fund.””
“Apparently.””
“Then the money might still be recoverable.””
“Only if the records support it,” Denise said, repeating the caution Principal Brooks had emphasized.
“We need to make sure this is real and that the copy is complete.””
Janelle photographed every page and contacted the principal.
Within an hour, Principal Brooks and the district's legal adviser arrived at their apartment. They examined the copy, compared it with the earlier documents, and arranged for a forensic review.
The legal adviser explained that the addendum could affect who had authority to approve the transfers, but its enforceability would depend on the original records and applicable law.
Denise listened carefully.
“I don't want money for myself,” she said.
“I want to know whether the students lost something that was promised to them.””
“That's exactly what the audit will examine,” the adviser replied.
For the first time, Janelle saw her mother sit a little straighter.
She wasn't simply the grieving widow who had spent six years trying to keep their household together.
She was the person her father had chosen to continue his work.
But the discovery had consequences.
The following morning, Denise received a formal letter from the foundation's attorneys demanding that she surrender all copies of the original agreement pending verification.
Principal Brooks instructed her not to respond independently.
The district's counsel prepared a written acknowledgment that the documents would be preserved and reviewed through the proper process.
Then, just after noon, Carter appeared at Janelle's classroom door.
Her teacher stepped into the hallway to speak with him, but Carter insisted on seeing Janelle.
“Two minutes,” he said.
“That's all.””
Janelle walked outside, keeping the classroom door open behind her.
“What?””
Carter glanced toward the teacher, then back at Janelle.
“My dad knows about the papers you found.””
“I'm sure he does.””
“He says they're fake.””
“Then he can prove that through the investigation.””
Carter rubbed the back of his neck.
For once, he wasn't smiling.
“You don't understand what this is doing to my family.””
Janelle stared at him.
“You didn't care what you were doing to me when you knocked my lunchbox onto the floor.””
“That was different.””
“How?””
He looked away.
“I don't know.””
It was the first honest answer she'd ever heard from him.
Carter lowered his voice.
“My dad has been furious all week. He says the school is trying to ruin us. He's making calls, talking to lawyers, telling everyone your family is after our money.””
“Are you saying he's lying?””
Carter hesitated.
“I don't know what he's doing.””
“Then why are you here?””
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“I found this in his office printer tray. I wasn't supposed to see it.””
Janelle didn't take it.
“What is it?””
“A copy of an email. It mentions the original addendum and says the archive needs to be cleared before the district completes its review.””
Janelle felt a chill.
“Who wrote it?””
Carter swallowed.
“My dad.””
The teacher stepped closer.
“Carter, if you have evidence relevant to the investigation, you need to provide it directly to Principal Brooks.””
“I know.””
Janelle looked at the paper.
“Why would you help me?””
Carter's face reddened.
“I'm not helping you. I'm trying to figure out what my dad has done.””
He placed the paper on the windowsill and backed away.
Then he stopped.
“Janelle?””
She looked at him.
“I'm sorry about the lunchbox.””
It wasn't enough to repair what he had done. But for once, he didn't try to excuse it.
Janelle nodded toward the office.
“Tell Principal Brooks everything you know.””
Carter walked away.
Janelle picked up the paper and brought it straight to the principal.
The email was printed with a date and time. It referred to a document called Addendum B and instructed an unnamed recipient to remove duplicate records from the archive before an external review.
The sender's address belonged to Richard Whitmore's company.
But the recipient line had been cut off.
Principal Brooks immediately handed the document to the district's legal adviser.
“We cannot establish who received this or whether the instruction was carried out,” she said.
“But it gives us another specific lead to verify.””
Janelle nodded.
She had learned not to confuse suspicion with proof.
Still, as she left the office that afternoon, her phone rang.
It was Daniel Price.
His voice sounded strained.
“Janelle, I just spoke to the district's attorney. They asked me about the original addendum.””
“What did you tell them?””
“I told them Marcus gave me a copy of the ledger, but I never saw the complete addendum.””
“Do you remember anything else about that night?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Yes. Something I should have told you earlier.””
Janelle stopped walking.
“What?””
“I found a second page tucked into the blue ledger after Marcus died. It wasn't there when he gave me the copy.””
Her stomach tightened.
“What did it say?””
Daniel took a shaky breath.
“It listed the person who was supposed to receive the original documents if Marcus couldn't deliver them himself.””
“Who?””
“I thought it was a mistake at first. But I've checked the page several times.””
His voice dropped.
“Janelle, the person named wasn't your mother.””
May you like
He paused.
“It was Carter Whitmore.””
