Chapter 3 - MONICA STOPPED INVESTIGATING HER OWN FAMILY
Monica’s first instinct was to open every hospital database she could access.
She didn’t.
That decision mattered.
Her job in vendor integrity gave her legitimate access to contract records when assigned to an audit.
Austin was now family, potential evidence, and the person accused of attacking her.
Searching him casually could contaminate both an internal investigation and whatever criminal case developed from the assault.
So Monica called her director.
Linda Perez arrived at the hospital the next morning.
Monica explained only what she knew.
Austin appeared as an active external contractor.
She had not known that.
His profile displayed approval authority.
His legal wife was Naomi Blake.
Austin reacted violently when Monica opened the profile.
Linda did not gasp.
She took notes.
“Have you searched his transactions?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Monica almost laughed.
“Good?”
“It means nobody can say you went fishing through restricted data because you were angry at your brother.”
That was exactly what Monica needed to hear.
Linda placed Monica on paid administrative leave from vendor-review duties involving the matter.
Then she notified corporate compliance.
Separately, Monica gave police a statement regarding the birthday attack.
The responding detective photographed her injury, collected the damaged cooking pot, and documented Amanda’s presence.
Austin contacted police through an attorney the following day.
He claimed Monica had attacked him first with cookware during an argument.
That did not surprise her.
Amanda’s statement was worse.
She said she saw “mutual aggression.”
Monica read that phrase while sitting in Caroline’s guest room with her knee locked in a brace.
Mutual aggression.
Her own mother had watched Austin swing a tire iron downward at her and converted it into symmetry.
Police did not immediately arrest everyone and resolve the family.
They compared statements.
Examined physical evidence.
Requested medical records with Monica’s authorization.
Spoke to the neighbor who had found her outside.
The neighbor had not seen the attack but had heard Monica yell that Austin had hit her with a tire iron before she reached his house.
Useful.
Not perfect.
Reality rarely was.
The hospital investigation moved separately.
Two days later Linda called.
“We confirmed Austin’s profile is legitimate.”
Monica frowned.
“What does legitimate mean?”
“It was created through the facilities modernization program eighteen months ago.”
“That makes no sense.”
Austin had never mentioned it.
“What does he do?”
“He’s listed as a project-authorization consultant for Westbridge Facilities Group.”
Monica knew the name.
Westbridge handled renovations across three Pacific Crest campuses.
Millions of dollars in annual work.
“Why does he have approval rights?”
“Limited delegated authority. Certain project managers can approve change orders below defined thresholds.”
Monica felt sick.
She remembered Austin asking about thresholds.
“How much?”
Linda paused.
“I’m not discussing the investigation beyond what affects you.”
Fair.
Then Linda added:
“But there’s one thing you need to know.”
“What?”
“The person who sponsored Austin’s contractor access was not someone at Westbridge.”
Monica gripped the phone.
“Who was it?”
“Your mother.”
Amanda Wellman had spent twelve years on the board of Pacific Crest’s charitable foundation.
She could not approve hospital contracts.
May you like
But her name opened doors.
And somehow, eighteen months earlier, she had used it to help open one for Austin.
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