Chapter 13 - The New Shelter
The new shelter stood on a quiet street behind a bright mural of children holding hands. Inside, the hallways smelled of fresh paint. The brochure promised safety, educational support, and dignity. Naomi read every word with rising anger.
“Some of the people who signed those promises signed the old transfers,” she said.
Maya explained that suspicion was not enough to shut down a properly licensed facility without grounds. Investigators began reviewing the board's finances, contracts, and screening procedures. The state agency agreed to delay new admissions while an urgent compliance assessment took place.
Alexander used his position to demand an independent audit of every Whitmore-funded charity. Some board members threatened to resign. He told them they were welcome to do so after preserving their records.
Vanessa retaliated with a television interview. She claimed Alexander had invented the family scandal to escape their engagement and that Naomi was manipulating him for an inheritance.
For half a day Naomi watched strangers debate her face, her name, and whether she looked wealthy enough to belong to anyone. She turned off her phone when Rosa began reading the comments.
Then Naomi stood outside the television studio during Vanessa’s next appearance. She didn’t shout. She waited until the cameras were rolling and said, “You kicked at my face because you thought I had no right to defend myself. Now you’re trying to make my family history disappear. I want the records examined. Do you?”
Vanessa’s publicist tried to escort her away, but the question followed her into the car.
That night, Maya discovered the new shelter’s emergency vendor had received a large transfer from a corporation registered in Delaware. The account was linked to Vanessa, not her father.
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The painted mural at the new shelter had been commissioned from local students. Naomi hated that innocent children had helped decorate a plan they didn't understand. She asked investigators to preserve the students' artwork when the building was secured. The people who made the lies should not get to destroy everything around them.
The next morning a former shelter applicant sent Naomi a screenshot of a recruitment email. At the bottom, one instruction had been accidentally left visible: DO NOT ACCEPT CHILDREN WITH TRACEABLE FAMILY RECORDS.
