Chapter 7 - THE ACCOUNTING FILE
Commonwealth’s trustee had already noticed unusual growth in household reimbursements.
Not fraud accusation.
Questions.
One memo:
Please provide greater allocation detail for residential staffing and property improvements before next annual approval.
Another:
Enhanced Care determination, if applicable, may result in revised direct-pay structure.
Then Helena’s handwritten notes on a printed copy.
If triggered:
care manager
provider-direct payments
staff audit
house allocation reduced
prior reimbursement review?
The question mark mattered.
She called Commonwealth.
Asked whether Enhanced Care review automatically audited past expenses.
They told her:
Not automatically, but current budgeting may require historical expense review.
That was enough.
Then she asked whether a parent could decline the Enhanced Care structure.
Trustee answered:
Not if the trustee determines it appropriate under the trust terms.
That frightened her.
She called Marcus.
We had the recording because Marcus saved voicemails.
“Do you understand what this means? Natalie’s father will have strangers deciding what part of your house belongs to your daughter.”
Not accurate.
Trustee, not Natalie’s father.
Then:
“They will dig through everything.”
Possibly.
Then:
“And if they decide you misused one dollar, they’ll make you look like a thief.”
There.
Marcus’s voice in his later statement:
May you like
“That’s when I panicked.”
Fear did not make what came next accidental.
