Chapter 3 - The Christmas Test
Richard Bennett’s house was still decorated for Christmas when Claire arrived with Cole and two detectives.
The enormous stone residence glowed beneath white lights. Through the dining room windows, Claire could see the remains of the previous night’s dinner.
Crystal glasses stood beside half-empty bottles of wine.
Gold ribbons hung from the backs of velvet chairs.
The trash bin containing Brittany’s discarded check was gone.
Richard met them in the foyer.
“You brought lawyers and police into my home?”
“You told me Grandma’s money was poisoned,” Claire said. “Then she warned me not to trust you.”
His eyes flickered.
“When?”
“She left a message.”
Richard’s face tightened.
“Evelyn is confused.”
“She sounded terrified.”
“She has been paranoid for years.”
Cole stepped forward.
“Mr. Bennett, did you or did you not attempt to negotiate a Bellweather instrument at a private currency exchange this morning?”
Richard straightened.
“That is none of your concern.”
“It became our concern when the exchange contacted Whitmore National for authentication.”
“I was checking whether it was legitimate.”
“By presenting it through an intermediary incorporated three weeks ago?”
Richard’s confidence faltered.
Detective Lena Ortiz opened a notebook.
“What is the name of the intermediary?”
“My financial adviser arranged it.”
“Name?”
“I’ll have my attorney contact you.”
Brittany appeared at the top of the staircase wearing designer pajamas and holding a coffee cup.
“This is ridiculous. Grandma handed out fake checks because she wanted attention.”
Cole looked up.
“Where is your check?”
“In the trash.”
“Which trash?”
Brittany glanced toward Richard.
“The kitchen.”
“The kitchen bin is empty,” Claire said.
Their silence answered for them.
Marcus entered from the drawing room, followed by his mother, Elaine. Richard’s younger sister had always treated Claire as an inconvenience inherited through marriage.
Elaine folded her arms.
“Are we under arrest?”
“No,” Ortiz said. “We are searching for Evelyn Bellweather.”
Elaine gave a humorless laugh.
“Try the nearest stage. Mother always loved dramatic performances.”
Claire took out her phone.
“Did all of you know about the Bellweather fortune?”
Marcus looked genuinely confused.
Brittany looked annoyed.
Elaine looked frightened.
Richard answered.
“We knew there had once been money. We believed it was gone.”
“Yet you all recovered the checks you threw away.”
“That proves nothing.”
“It proves you knew enough to reconsider.”
Cole walked toward the dining room.
“Where did Evelyn sit last night?”
Claire pointed to the head of the table.
The chair had been pushed back. Beneath it, the rug showed a faint rectangular indentation.
Cole knelt.
“Something was taped here.”
Brittany set down her coffee.
“Grandma dropped her purse.”
“No,” Claire said. “She never carried a purse into dinner.”
Richard stepped between her and the table.
“That’s enough.”
Claire remembered the previous evening more clearly now.
Evelyn had arrived without a gift bag.
She had worn a dark blue dress and a silver brooch shaped like a bell.
After dessert, she had removed seven envelopes from inside her coat.
One for Richard.
One for Elaine.
One for Marcus.
One for Brittany.
One for Claire.
The remaining two had been addressed to people who were not present.
Evelyn had kept them beside her plate.
When Richard began mocking the checks, Evelyn had not defended herself. She had simply watched each person’s reaction.
Before leaving, she had leaned close to Claire and said, “People reveal themselves most honestly when they believe there is nothing to gain.”
At the time, Claire thought it was another of Evelyn’s stern observations.
Now it sounded like an instruction.
“Who were the other checks for?” Claire asked.
Richard’s expression changed.
“What other checks?”
“There were seven envelopes.”
Elaine looked sharply at her brother.
“You said there were five.”
Richard’s jaw clenched.
Cole noticed.
“So you counted them.”
“No.”
“You just confirmed that Mr. Bennett told you how many checks were distributed,” Ortiz said.
Elaine glared at Richard.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
Claire moved toward the sideboard where Evelyn’s coat had been placed the night before.
A small surveillance camera was mounted above the archway.
“Does that record?”
Richard moved quickly.
“The system was off.”
Ortiz stepped in front of him.
“We’ll verify that.”
“The footage is private property.”
“You can provide it voluntarily, or I can obtain a warrant.”
While they argued, Brittany’s phone rang.
She looked at the screen and declined the call.
It rang again.
Claire saw only part of the name before Brittany turned it away.
Adrian.
Cole had seen it too.
He seized Brittany’s wrist before she could delete the call history.
“Who is Adrian?”
“No one.”
“Adrian Vale?”
“I don’t know any Adrian Vale.”
The phone rang a third time.
Cole accepted the call and activated the speaker.
No one spoke.
Then an older male voice said, “You should not have taken the checks to Whitmore.”
Brittany’s face went white.
Cole replied, “This is Andrew Cole, senior counsel for Whitmore National.”
The caller laughed softly.
“Then Silas’s servants are still guarding the door.”
“Where is Evelyn?”
“She is correcting a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“Choosing Claire.”
The call ended.
Every person in the room turned toward her.
Claire felt the old familiar weight of their resentment settle over her.
Richard looked less surprised than the others.
“What did he mean?” she demanded.
“I have no idea.”
“You’re lying.”
His calm finally broke.
“I’m trying to keep you alive.”
“By hiding everything?”
“By keeping you away from a war that started before you were born.”
Claire moved closer.
“Who is Adrian Vale?”
Richard stared at her for a long moment.
Then he looked toward Detective Ortiz.
“I want immunity.”
“For what?” Ortiz asked.
May you like
Richard’s answer came quietly.
“For helping Evelyn disappear twenty-seven years ago.”
