Richard’s personal folders.
I had assumed they wanted financial documents.
But perhaps they wanted one document in particular.
I suddenly knew where it was.
“Your Honor,” I said, “I need to make one telephone call.”
Judge Mercer studied me.
Then nodded.
I called Naomi.
She answered immediately.
“Tell me you won.”
“Not yet.”
“What happened?”
“Go to the storage box.”
Silence.
Naomi knew which one.
When I left my home after Daniel changed the locks, I had removed one box from Richard’s office days earlier.
I never opened it.
Grief had made certain things impossible.
“Eleanor—”
“Open the blue folder.”
I waited.
Paper moved on the other end.
Then Naomi inhaled sharply.
“Oh, my God.”
“What?”
“There’s a letter.”
My hand tightened around the telephone.
“To whom?”
“You.”
The courtroom disappeared.
All I could hear was Naomi.
“Do you want me to read it?”
“Yes.”
Her voice softened.
“Ellie, if you are reading this, I either lost my nerve or ran out of time.”
I closed my eyes.
Richard always called me Ellie.
“Daniel is in worse trouble than he has admitted. I intended to create a trust to rescue him once, on the condition that he leave your finances alone.”
