Sophie had named her piece The Blue Room.
Celeste’s supposedly old file had a speaker using the same title.
That did not prove fraud, because people sometimes reused titles.
But it raised a new question about how the recording was made.
I asked Priya whether we should send the observation to the trust.
“Yes,” she said.
“Send the exact timestamp and don’t speculate about identity.”
I followed her advice.
The next day Dr. Shaw responded that the examiner would request the original recording device or source files.
I stared at the message for a long time.
There was more than one way to steal a piece of music.
One was to take the pages.
Another was to take the history that told people who had written them.
The first public concert after the accusation felt like walking into somebody else’s argument.
Parents I had known for years stopped conversations when Sophie and I entered the auditorium.
A few offered small smiles, and a few turned their chairs away.
The Bellhaven String Ensemble was performing before the school board’s spring reception.
Sophie had a place in the second row, far enough from the front that I could see her searching for me beneath the stage lights.
I sat where she would recognize my jacket.
Celeste occupied the aisle seat in the front row, surrounded by donors and a newspaper columnist.
I saw her speak to a woman carrying a camera, then point toward Sophie.
The woman made a note.
During intermission she approached me with questions about the allegations.
I said only that the trust was reviewing the work and that a minor child’s education should not be argued about in the lobby.
The reporter seemed disappointed.
“Do you deny the claim?” she asked.
“Sophie wrote her piece,” I answered.
“The evidence can speak for itself.”
Across the room Celeste smiled as if she could hear every word.
After the concert I found Sophie behind the curtain with Lila and Mrs. Paredes.
They were staring at a notice somebody had slipped into Sophie’s violin case.
It was printed on expensive paper with the Bellhaven Music Council logo.
The notice stated that Sophie had been suspended from all council-sponsored activities pending review of ethical misconduct.
It carried Celeste’s signature and the date of the previous day.
Mrs. Paredes held it by the corners.
“This isn’t a school decision,” she said.
“And the council has no authority over the school orchestra.”
Sophie stared at the paper.
