Chapter 6 - THE COST OF LOOKING CLOSER
Ohio State temporarily froze Second Shift’s university fundraising account while auditors reviewed the relationship with Hale Community Partners.
The clinic remained open because patient care was supervised through the medical center, but expansion plans stopped. A mobile examination unit scheduled for purchase had to wait.
Dr. Levin removed himself from financial oversight pending review.
Clara should have been furious with him.
Instead, she saw how Robert had used the clinic’s needs against everyone involved.
Dr. Levin wanted funding.
Clara wanted her father’s approval.
The university wanted a successful community partnership.
Haley wanted a career that looked impressive without requiring years of training.
Each person accepted one convenient assumption.
Robert connected them into a lie.
Riverside Memorial contacted Clara after receiving notice of the compliance review. Her residency position was not withdrawn, but credentialing requested a written explanation and supporting records.
Her classmates celebrated graduation at breweries and family dinners.
Clara spent the weekend building a timeline.
She found old messages from Haley asking for clinic photographs, patient totals, and volunteer biographies. Haley always claimed Robert needed them for an annual charitable report.
Clara had answered between overnight shifts without asking where the information would appear.
That was her mistake.
Not the fraud.
The access.
She had confused being too busy to check with having nothing to check.
Diane called on Sunday evening.
“You’ve frozen company accounts.”
“The university froze one nonprofit account.”
“Robert can’t make payroll if the hospital bid collapses.”
Clara stopped typing.
Hale Construction employed eighty-two people. Project managers, carpenters, office staff, and union subcontractors depended on its contracts.
Diane knew exactly which consequence would make Clara hesitate.
“This isn’t about Haley anymore,” Diane said. “You’re going to destroy working families.”
“Then Robert should correct the proposal.”
“He can’t.”
“Why?”
Diane’s voice became quiet.
“Because St. Catherine already scored the bid.”
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The hospital contract was worth fourteen million dollars.
And Hale Construction’s strongest advantage was the community health program it did not own.
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