Chapter 18 - The Blue Door That Connected Everything
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I didn't bring Renee to the old Havenbridge building.
I wouldn't let her become part of another confrontation she couldn't understand.
Instead, I brought her drawing.
Detective Hart had arranged for investigators to examine the former records office after securing appropriate access.
Charlotte and Naomi were there to assist with identification of trust-related documents.
I waited outside with Gabriel.
The building was a narrow brick structure behind a former medical clinic.
Its windows were dirty.
The parking lot was nearly empty.
And beside a loading entrance stood a faded blue metal door.
My breath caught.
It looked almost exactly like the one Renee had drawn.
A few minutes later, Hart approached.
“Mr. DeLuca, we're documenting the interior.”
“Have you found anything?”
“Several old storage cabinets and records associated with Havenbridge.”
“About the children?”
“We're reviewing those.”
I stared at the door.
Four years earlier, my daughter had been small enough to fit beneath my arm.
Somehow, she'd carried a memory of this place across all those years.
An hour later, Charlotte stepped outside.
Her expression was serious.
“We found references to both Renee and Lucas.”
My heart pounded.
“Where was Lucas sent?”
“The records indicate a private placement through a contractor rather than the same foster-care referral used for Renee.”
“Which contractor?”
Charlotte hesitated.
“March Family Logistics.”
Victor.
I stared at her.
“Of course.”
She continued.
“There are also communications concerning your daughter's original case file.”
“What communications?”
“One instruction directed staff to remove references to the sibling relationship from certain summaries.”
My jaw tightened.
“Who sent it?”
“The message was transmitted from an account associated with the relief trust's administrative office.”
“Carmen?”
“We can't attribute it to her personally yet.”
I forced myself to breathe.
“Was the instruction followed?”
“In the documents we've reviewed, yes.”
I looked toward the blue door.
Renee's separation from Lucas hadn't been a minor administrative oversight.
Someone had deliberately removed information that might have helped reunite them.
Then Naomi joined us.
“Michael, I found something you need to understand.”
She showed me a summary of an older financial arrangement.
It concerned a special fund established for Elena Vega's children.
My stomach tightened.
“What fund?”
“According to these records, Elena had arranged for an outside custodian to hold copies of certain documents and any assets recovered from the disputed accounts.”
“Why?”
“To protect evidence and potentially preserve money for her children.”
Charlotte nodded.
“The arrangement appears to require an independent review before Renee's seventh birthday.”
I stared at her.
That was only a few months away.
Suddenly, Paula's notebook made sense.
Remove beneficiary designation before seventh birthday.
I looked at Charlotte.
“My mother knew the records might be released.”
“That's one possibility.”
“And she was trying to interfere with Renee's legal status before the review.”
Charlotte nodded cautiously.
“It may explain the timing of the petition, but we'll need evidence connecting the actions.”
I felt sick.
The Christmas cruelty.
The adoption challenge.
The missing records.
They might all be pieces of the same effort to prevent the past from becoming public.
Then Hart approached.
“We have another lead.”
I turned.
“A contact listed in the records has come forward through an attorney.”
“Who?”
Hart studied me carefully.
“Someone who claims to have seen Elena Vega alive after the fire.”
My heart hammered.
“When?”
“Several months afterward.”
I couldn't speak.
Hart continued.
“The witness says Elena was frightened, but she was moving freely and seeking legal help.”
I stared at her.
“Then why didn't she come for Renee?”
Hart's expression softened.
“That's one of the questions we're trying to answer.”
May you like
Then she added:
“The witness also says Elena never stopped asking about both of her children.”
