Chapter 5 - THE FOUNDATION THAT KILLED A CHILDJames spent the next forty-eight hours investigating his own charity.
He had never done that before.
He had created the Hayes Children's Medical Fund for one reason.
Public image.
Years earlier, a real estate project had displaced hundreds of families.
The media had attacked him.
His advisors had suggested philanthropy.
So James had created a foundation.
He had donated millions.
There had been ceremonies.
Photographs.
Press releases.
His name had appeared on hospital walls.
But he had never looked at the individual cases.
He had trusted the board.
He had trusted the administrators.
He had trusted the reports.
Now he opened everything.
And discovered something terrifying.
The foundation had rejected dozens of children.
Not because they lacked funding.
Because certain cases had been classified as “research-sensitive.”
Lily Moore was one of them.
Another child had died in another state.
Another had disappeared from the records.
And all the cases had one thing in common.
A dark mark near the neck.
James stared at the files.
Anna stood behind him.
“You knew none of this?”
“No.”
“You signed the reports.”
“I signed the financial summaries.”
“You never read the cases.”
James closed his eyes.
“I should have.”
Anna said nothing.
She had no reason to comfort him.
Not now.
Dr. Vell arrived with new information.
“Cross Institute is not a normal research center.”
James looked up.
“What did you find?”
“Several patients were transferred there.”
“Children?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they now?”
Dr. Vell placed a folder on the table.
“Some died.”
James looked at the pages.
“And the others?”
“We don't know.”
Anna stared.
“How can people disappear from a hospital?”
Dr. Vell looked at her.
“Because their records were transferred.”
“To where?”
“The Cross Institute.”
James stood.
“Then we go there.”
Dr. Vell shook his head.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because if Cross knows we are investigating him, he will destroy everything.”
James looked toward the ICU.
“Then what do we do?”
Dr. Vell looked at Eli.
The boy was sitting near the window.
He was drawing.
“What is he doing?”
James walked toward him.
Eli covered the paper.
“What are you drawing?”
“Nothing.”
James gently reached out.
Eli hesitated.
Then handed him the paper.
James stared.
It was a map.
A building.
Several corridors.
A room beneath the building.
And a black bird symbol.
James looked at Eli.
“Where is this?”
Eli pointed.
“The place where Lily went.”
Dr. Vell leaned over the map.
“Do you remember drawing this?”
Eli nodded.
“I saw it.”
“When?”
“After Lily died.”
James stared.
“You remember the building?”
“Yes.”
“Can you take us there?”
Eli became silent.
Then said:
“There is a room you must not enter.”
“What room?”
May you like
Eli looked toward Oliver.
“The room with the baby pictures.”
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