Chapter 11 - An Enemy in the Family
Celeste's statement changed the investigation, but it also made her a target.
Within hours of meeting Bea, her family stopped paying her living expenses.
Victor called and accused her of betraying the people who raised her.
Celeste forwarded the messages to Daniel.
She was twenty-four, finishing her own graduate studies, and discovering that affection in her family had always come with conditions.
Bea found it difficult to trust her.
"You still got to study without wondering what dinner cost," she said.
Celeste lowered her eyes.
"I did."
There was no excuse in the answer.
That honesty made Bea listen.
Celeste had kept a folder of scholarship statements because she was unusually careful with money.
Her records showed the account had been used as a temporary passageway for funds before they were sent elsewhere.
Victor had repeatedly described the transfers as harmless accounting adjustments.
Amina persuaded an external auditor to review the materials on behalf of a group of trustees.
The auditor concluded that the irregularities warranted formal investigation, though the documents alone could not establish every person's intent.
Bea appreciated that careful distinction.
She had been mocked by people who treated their assumptions as facts.
She did not want revenge built on the same habit.
Then an old photograph appeared on a gossip page.
It showed Elena receiving a check from Carmina with a wide smile.
The caption called it proof that Elena had been paid generously for her silence.
The complete photograph, Marisol explained, had been taken at a public classroom fundraiser.
Bea released the uncropped image and the event program.
People who wanted scandal criticized her anyway.
But the fuller record persuaded others to question the edited accusations.
One night, Celeste asked Bea why she kept answering carefully when cruelty would have been easier.
"Because Liam will grow up hearing this story," Bea said.
"I want him to know I told it truthfully."
The following morning a registered letter arrived from Victor's attorneys.
It alleged defamation and demanded that Bea cease discussing the scholarship documents.
Attached was an invitation to settle the dispute confidentially.
The proposed settlement included substantial money, a guaranteed teaching position, and a new apartment.
It also required Bea to declare that Elena had knowingly approved the payments.
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