Chapter 2 - THE ACCOUNT THAT WAITED FOR A CHILD
Window Six was Melissa’s permanent station. Customers could learn that by visiting the branch, but not from the bank’s public website.
She reported the call to branch manager Nolan Webb. He listened carefully, then asked for the five-dollar bill.
“It may be evidence,” he said.
Melissa sealed it in a deposit envelope but did not hand it over. “Evidence should go to law enforcement.”
Nolan smiled. “Of course. I meant for our security liaison.”
His answer was reasonable. His interest was too quick.
Melissa contacted Detective Aaron Price, who had led Rachel’s original case. He was near retirement and remembered every detail. He examined the bill and confirmed the serial appeared on an internal list never released publicly.
“Your sister could have kept it,” he said.
“Or whoever framed her.”
Aaron did not challenge the word framed. Five years had softened his certainty too.
The initials E.C. led nowhere until Melissa processed dormant-account notices. One minor custodial account had been opened at Commonwealth exactly five years earlier for Eli Carter, beneficiary date of birth listed but no Social Security number recorded. The custodian was Rachel Carter.
The account held eleven dollars and seventeen cents.
Its correspondence instruction read: No mail. In-person contact at Window Six after the child turns five.
Eli had turned five eight days earlier.
Melissa searched Rachel’s personnel file. No pregnancy or child appeared in records. Rachel had married Peter Carter six months before her disappearance, but Peter died in a highway accident the following year. His obituary named no children.
May you like
Someone had kept Eli outside every public trace.
When Melissa opened the scanned account signature card, a security warning appeared. The image had been accessed the previous night using Nolan Webb’s executive credentials.
