Chapter 2 - THE TWELVE KEYS
Mark called police.
He did not let Diane leave with the bag.
Lily was medically evaluated, and the pre-existing bruises were documented.
Child-safety professionals began a separate review of Diane’s conduct.
Mark refused to let the property mystery erase what happened to his daughter.
The black bag went through proper evidence handling.
With legal permission, Mark received copies of the documents related to his own address.
The twelve keys belonged to homes in three nearby subdivisions.
Most tags included:
an address,
a date,
a contractor code,
and a handwritten letter.
A.
B.
C.
Or R.
Mark did not know what the letters meant.
The company name on several old forms did.
CARTER RESIDENTIAL SERVICES.
His father’s company.
Thomas Carter had installed:
insulation,
water heaters,
ventilation equipment,
windows,
and weatherproofing systems for suburban homes.
After Thomas died, the business assets were sold to a regional contractor called NorthVale Home Systems.
Diane had handled warranty files during the transition.
Mark thought her involvement ended years ago.
Apparently it had not.
He called NorthVale.
Their compliance director, Sarah Bell, became quiet when he mentioned the black bag.
“Mr. Carter, where did you get those keys?”
“My mother.”
Another silence.
“Diane Carter?”
“Yes.”
Sarah asked for the work-order number on his envelope.
Mark read it.
She stopped him halfway.
“That order is not in our active system.”
“Then what is it?”
“I need to check our legacy archive.”
Thirty minutes later she called back.
The number existed.
Original date:
eight years earlier.
Project:
Home Energy Upgrade — Phase Two.
Status:
CLOSED.
Inspector result:
PASS.
Mark stared at the page in his hand.
His copy said:
REMOVE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE BEFORE MUNICIPAL REVIEW.
“What was inspected?”
Sarah answered:
“The project file says attic ventilation and appliance exhaust compliance.”
“Was it safe?”
“I’m not going to guess from an eight-year-old record.”
Good answer.
Then Sarah asked:
“Did your father ever give your mother access to client homes?”
“Not that I knew.”
“NorthVale has no policy allowing retired family members to hold keys.”
Mark looked at the eleven other tags.
“Then why does she have twelve?”
Sarah said:
“I don’t know.”
Then she found something worse.
NorthVale had recently received anonymous requests to “revisit” exactly nine of the twelve addresses.
Not for repairs.
For file correction.
The sender used an old Carter Residential email alias that should have been disabled years ago.
Name on the messages:
Thomas Carter.
May you like
Mark went cold.
Someone was sending emails under his dead father’s name.
