Chapter 3 - THE HOUSE THAT KEPT ITS SECRETS
The statement had been written by Margaret Ellis, the Blackwood family's former housekeeper.
She had worked for Nathaniel for eleven years before resigning shortly after Claire's funeral.
Her letter described several incidents she had witnessed during Claire's final months.
Claire had received threatening phone calls.
Someone had entered her private study and removed financial documents.
On two occasions, Margaret had found Claire crying in the kitchen after midnight.
When Margaret asked whether she needed help, Claire replied that she was afraid for Lily.
The letter ended abruptly.
Nathaniel immediately ordered Marcus to locate Margaret.
She had retired to a small town in Wisconsin, where she lived alone.
When Nathaniel called, she initially refused to speak.
“I signed a confidentiality agreement,” she said.
“My wife is dead, and my daughter is afraid of my fiancée. I need to know what happened.”
Margaret was silent for several seconds.
Then she whispered, “Your wife believed Vanessa was dangerous.”
Nathaniel felt his stomach tighten.
“Were they friends?”
“No. They knew each other long before you met Vanessa.”
Margaret explained that Vanessa had worked briefly for Claire's charitable foundation. She had been dismissed after Claire discovered irregularities in several donation records.
The missing money had been returned, and Claire had chosen not to pursue public charges.
She wanted to protect the foundation's reputation.
But Vanessa had never forgiven her.
“Claire told me she had proof that someone was using the foundation to move money,” Margaret said. “She said if anything happened to her, I should find the blue ledger.”
“What blue ledger?”
“I never saw it.”
Nathaniel ended the call and contacted Daniel Price, his company's chief financial officer.
The foundation's accounts had been audited after Claire's death, but the audit had focused on recent transactions.
Daniel promised to review the older records.
That afternoon, Nathaniel returned to Claire's former study.
He had left the room almost untouched since her death.
Her books remained on the shelves. A silk scarf lay folded over the back of a chair. Beside the window stood a small music box Lily had received on her fifth birthday.
Nathaniel opened the desk drawers.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Then he noticed that one section of the bookcase sat slightly farther forward than the others.
Behind it was a narrow compartment.
Inside lay a blue leather ledger.
The first pages contained ordinary foundation expenses.
The later pages were different.
They documented transfers between charitable accounts and companies owned by people Nathaniel recognized from Vanessa's social circle.
Several transactions had been approved using Claire's electronic authorization.
But the dates were impossible.
Claire had been hospitalized during those periods.
Someone had used her credentials without her knowledge.
Nathaniel photographed every page and called Daniel.
“This could be financial fraud,” Daniel said after reviewing the first entries. “But we need the original records and a proper audit before drawing conclusions.”
Nathaniel agreed.
He wanted evidence, not rumors.
Then he found a folded letter hidden inside the back cover.
Claire's handwriting was unmistakable.
Nathan, if you're reading this, I may not have had the chance to explain everything.
Please protect Lily. There are people who believe money can buy the right to control a family.
If Vanessa returns to your life, do not assume she has changed.
The person who helped her knows what happened to me.
Nathaniel read the letter until the words blurred.
He had met Vanessa eighteen months after Claire's death.
She had seemed supportive, understanding, and patient.
But Claire had written her name before that meeting ever happened.
He called Marcus.
“Find out everything about Vanessa Sterling before she entered my life.”
Marcus nodded.
Then he hesitated.
“Sir, there's something else. The hotel footage shows that Victor wasn't the only person following Lily tonight.”
“Who else?”
“A woman wearing a staff uniform. She entered the service corridor carrying a small case.”
Marcus showed him a still image.
The woman was partially turned away from the camera, but Nathaniel recognized the necklace around her throat.
It was Claire's missing emerald pendant.
May you like
The woman looked directly toward the camera.
And for one terrible second, Nathaniel thought he was looking at his dead wife.
