The screen showed Richard sitting behind his desk.
He looked directly into the camera.
"If you're watching this, Eleanor, then I suppose I finally ran out of time."
His voice was weaker than she remembered.
He took a breath.
"I need you to understand that I did not discover this because I was looking for trouble. I discovered it because someone tried to withdraw money from an account that had not been touched in fifteen years."
Richard looked down at some papers.
"The first transfer was small. Twenty-five thousand dollars. It was disguised as a consulting payment. The second was larger. Then another."
He lifted his eyes toward the camera.
"At first, I suspected an accounting mistake. I asked Daniel about it. He told me everything was under control."
Richard paused.
"Then I found his signature."
Eleanor leaned closer to the screen.
"Daniel had approved the transfers. But when I confronted him, he told me Vanessa had prepared the documents and he had simply signed what she gave him."
Richard shook his head.
"I wanted to believe him. God knows I wanted to."
The video ended.
Eleanor sat motionless.
She opened the next recording.
This one had been filmed inside the hospital.
Richard was sitting in his bed, looking toward the door.
A few seconds later, Daniel entered.
"How are you feeling, Dad?"
"Better than yesterday."
Daniel pulled a chair closer.
"That's good."
There was an uncomfortable silence.
Richard looked at his son.
"Your mother called me this morning."
Daniel nodded.
"She worries too much."
"She's your mother."
"I know."
"Then why are you making things so difficult for her?"
Daniel's expression changed.
"What are you talking about?"
"The property documents."
Daniel leaned back.
"Not this again."
Richard's voice remained calm.
"I want to know why you attempted to transfer ownership of the lake property without telling either of us."
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"Vanessa and I were trying to reorganize the assets. It's a business decision."
"That property belongs to your mother."
"It belongs to the family."
"Your mother is the family."
Daniel looked away.
Richard continued.
"I built that house so your mother would always have somewhere safe to return to. I didn't build it so you could use it as collateral for a business deal."
Daniel's voice became sharper.
"You don't understand the financial pressure we're under."
"Then explain it."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because you won't understand."
Richard looked at him for several seconds.
Then he asked the question that made Eleanor's hands go cold.
"Daniel, are you in debt?"
Her son said nothing.
Richard closed his eyes.
"I thought so."
The video ended.
Eleanor removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes.
She had known Daniel was having financial difficulties.
He had mentioned unsuccessful investments, rising business expenses, and temporary cash-flow problems.
But she had never imagined the situation was so serious that he would risk the family estate.
She continued watching.
The next video showed Richard speaking to someone outside the hospital room.
It was Vanessa.
She was wearing a cream-colored coat and carrying a large handbag.
Richard looked exhausted.
"Why are you here?"
Vanessa smiled.
"To visit you, of course."
"You've been here before."
"I know."
"Then let's talk about the documents."
Her smile disappeared.
"What documents?"
"The ones you prepared for Daniel."
Vanessa placed her handbag on the chair.
"Richard, you're recovering. You shouldn't worry about business matters."
"Don't tell me what I should worry about."
She sighed.
"You've always been suspicious of me."
"Perhaps you should give me a reason not to be."
Vanessa stepped closer.
"Daniel deserves more responsibility. He's your son. Why should he have to wait for everything?"
"Because he isn't ready."
"He's forty years old."
"Age doesn't automatically make someone responsible."
Vanessa's expression hardened.
"You've spent your entire life controlling him."
Richard looked at her.
"No. I spent my life trying to teach him."
The silence that followed was painful.
Then Vanessa said something that made Eleanor stop breathing.
"When you're gone, things will be different."
Richard did not respond immediately.
Finally, he said:
"Is that a threat?"
Vanessa smiled again.
"No. It's a promise."
The video ended.
Eleanor pushed her chair backward.
She stood up and walked to the window.
Her daughter-in-law had stood in her home, eaten at her table, accepted her Christmas gifts, and smiled beside her in family photographs.
And now Eleanor understood that some of those smiles had been disguises.
But the worst discovery was still waiting.
She returned to the laptop and opened the final video file.
The recording was dated two days before Richard died.
It showed him sitting in his study at home.
His face was pale.
He was struggling to speak, but his eyes were unusually alert.
"Eleanor," he began, "there is one more thing you need to know."
He paused for a moment.
"I spoke to Daniel yesterday. He told me he wants to fix everything."
Richard looked toward the door.
"He asked me to give him another chance."