Chapter 8 - The School Had Already Been Contacted
The school secretary sounded alarmed.
“Yes, Mr. Russo,” she said over speakerphone while Nora listened in remotely, “we did receive an inquiry from your mother two days ago.”
Dominic sat straighter.
“What kind of inquiry?”
“She asked about transfer procedures and whether a temporary guardian could withdraw a child if paperwork was in process.”
Lily was building blocks on the floor nearby. Owen sat beside her, unusually quiet.
Dominic kept his voice even.
“Did she submit anything?”
“No, sir. We told her that both the parent record and legal authority would need verification.”
Thank God for that.
Nora muted herself, then texted Dominic:
We move today. Educational alert, medical alert, custody alert. Full no-release notice.
By noon, Dominic had notified the children’s school, pediatrician, after-school program, and dentist in writing that Diane Russo had no authority whatsoever to pick up, transport, or make decisions for either child.
The pediatrician’s office called back almost at once.
There was one more problem.
Diane had already requested copies of Lily’s immunization records last week.
Dominic sat at the kitchen island after the call, staring at the grain of the wood.
Everything he learned made the same truth larger.
This had been progressing step by step.
Not just a packed suitcase.
A process.
A timetable.
A strategy.
May you like
His mother had been building a paper trail around a five-year-old child while smiling across the dinner table every night.
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