The Date

Emma walked back to her hotel. The river was dark and the air was cold. She thought about Fiona's words.

In her room, Emma opened Calum's email again. It said the payment was being processed. It did not say the college had received the money. These were two different things.

Emma wrote to Calum. She asked him to give his old college permission to check its records. The college needed his written agreement because the information was private.

Emma also checked the college's rules. Some old records might no longer exist. If the college found no payment, she would need to ask why.

Next, Emma wrote to the trust. She asked how it offered scholarships, sent money and checked payments. She did not mention Fiona.

Malcolm Vale was still the chairman. His photograph was on the trust's website. Emma looked at it for a moment. She did not know if he had approved Calum's payment.

Sarah called that evening.

“Did you find anything?”

“A date. I need to check it.”

“Good. And the letter?”

“I still don't know who sent it.”

Emma then read her old article about Claire. In 2011, she had written that Claire might have left her family because she wanted to be alone. Emma could not find proof of this in her old notes. She felt ashamed. She saved the article. One day she would need to correct it.

She took a clean page and wrote two headings: What I know and What I don't know.

She knew the dates of the emails. She knew what the trust had published. But she did not know where all the money had gone. She did not know who had changed any records. And she did not know who had sent the strange letter.

A message arrived from Calum. His college had received his permission form. The college had not checked the old payments yet.

Then Fiona sent another email.

Check the original account entry for 19 November 2010. If it is different from the later report, ask who changed it. I can't talk tonight.

Emma read the email twice. Fiona had not said that Malcolm stole money. She had not said anything about Claire. But now Emma knew what to look for.

She wrote in her notebook: 19 November 2010. Original record. Who changed it? When?