“No. My mother had no proof. She only knew Eleanor was frightened.”
“And Daniel?” I asked.
“He found the pendant among his father’s belongings after Richard died last year. Inside the jewelry box was a safe-deposit key and my mother’s name.”
I stared at her. “Daniel’s father died three years ago.”
“That’s what Daniel told you.”
The words settled between us.
Vanessa explained that Richard Mercer had not died when Daniel claimed. He had moved into a private medical residence under another name after suffering a stroke. Daniel visited him secretly.
“Why hide that from me?”
“Because Richard was still connected to Mercer Development. Daniel believed your father’s inheritance had been used to settle an old debt between them.”
My father and Richard had known each other, but Daniel always described their relationship as distant and professional.
I remembered my father’s letter.
Someone close to our family.
