The hospital had changed names twice since the late 1970s, but portions of its historical records remained preserved on microfilm. Obtaining access wasn't simple. Mara needed proper authorization, and the records department had to determine which documents could legally be reviewed. Angela waited anxiously while investigators worked through the necessary steps. For three days, every telephone call made her heart race.
Then Mara contacted her.
"We found something."
Angela stepped into an empty consultation room.
"What?"
"The identification number belongs to Margaret Price."
Angela sat down.
"Was she injured?"
"Seriously."
The records indicated that Margaret had been admitted after a reported automobile collision. She remained hospitalized for several weeks before being discharged. But the date was troubling. Margaret's admission occurred three days after Samuel Whitmore supposedly died in the boating accident.
Angela felt the connections tightening.
"Who brought her in?"
"The records don't specify."
"Who paid her hospital bills?"
"A foundation connected to the children's home."
Angela closed her eyes.
"Where did she go afterward?"
"That's what we're trying to determine."
Mara hesitated.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The physician who arranged her admission was Leonard Whitmore."
Angela frowned.
"Was he related to Charles?"
"Their uncle."
The family's involvement appeared to extend beyond the children's home, but Mara cautioned against assuming the payments or medical treatment proved wrongdoing. They needed to understand what happened and why Margaret disappeared afterward.
Angela returned to Thomas's hospital room that afternoon.
When she showed him Margaret's records, his hands began trembling.
"She survived?"
"She survived that accident. We don't know what happened later."
Thomas covered his face.
Angela waited until he lowered his hands.
"Why didn't you tell me about Samuel?"
"Because Evelyn asked me not to."
"Why?"
"She believed he was trying to expose his brother."
Angela sat beside him.
"Expose what?"
Thomas looked toward the doorway.
"Samuel found financial documents. He believed someone was using the children's home to move money through fraudulent adoption arrangements."
"Where are those documents?"
"I don't know."
"Who might know?"
Thomas looked exhausted.
"Margaret knew where Samuel hid important things."
Angela leaned forward.
"Where?"
He closed his eyes, struggling to remember.
"There's an old chapel behind the children's home. Samuel used to disappear there for hours."
"What was he doing?"
Thomas opened his eyes.
"One night, he told Evelyn there was a room beneath the chapel floor. He said if anything happened to him, she should look there."
Angela stood immediately.
"Did Evelyn ever search it?"
Thomas shook his head.
"She died before she had the chance."