Part 5

The donors' meeting was held in the same gym where Daniel had accepted his certificate. This time there were no cameras on the stage. Mrs. Patel stood beside a projector with the campaign's bank statements, invoices, and a list of unanswered questions. A volunteer recorded the minutes.

Daniel spoke first. He admitted that he had claimed military service he never performed. He acknowledged that my name had been placed on campaign documents without my permission and that he had approved the transfer. He did not blame Victor for every choice. He said he had trusted a partner when he should have checked the records, and he had kept quiet because he was afraid the campaign would collapse.

Someone in the back asked whether the money was gone. Mrs. Patel answered that the bank was investigating the transfer and that a report had been made to the authorities. Some funds remained in the original account. The rest had not yet been recovered. She would send donors a written update and offer refunds from the remaining balance according to the advice of the campaign's independent accountant.

Sam Bell's daughter stood near the door. She asked why Daniel had used her father's name in a fundraiser without telling him. Daniel said he had meant to help. She replied that good intentions did not make the ramp appear.

The words settled over the room. Daniel did not interrupt her.

After the meeting, the radio host approached me. He wanted me to describe my brother's lie on air. I said the account records were available to the donors and that I would not discuss an ongoing investigation. He asked whether I was protecting Daniel. I told him I was protecting the facts from becoming another story with only one person in it.

Outside, Maya and Lena handed out copies of the written update. A woman stopped to thank them. Her husband had contributed twenty dollars because he remembered how hard it was to find help after leaving the service. She said the room was still a good idea, even if the campaign had failed it.

The next morning Victor called Daniel. He offered to return twelve thousand dollars if Daniel withdrew the complaint. Daniel recorded the details of the call and gave them to Mrs. Patel. He did not agree to the condition. The bank later confirmed that part of the transfer had moved through an account connected to a rented warehouse, but the rest remained under review.

At home, Maya asked whether Daniel would go to prison. I told her I did not know. Adults sometimes wanted a neat answer before the evidence was complete. I had spent enough years managing supply records to know that the missing page was often more important than the first one.

Two days later Rosa called. A woman had visited Sam's house asking to buy the unused ramp estimate. She had offered cash and said she represented the campaign. Rosa had written down the license plate. The woman was not Victor's employee. She was the bookkeeper Daniel had assured us had left the company months ago.