His voice cracked.
"I wanted to say yes. I wanted to tell him that everything could go back to the way it was."
He lowered his head.
"But then he showed me something."
Richard lifted a document toward the camera.
It was a draft agreement.
Eleanor recognized the heading.
It was an authorization to transfer several properties into a new holding company.
But the name of the company was unfamiliar.
"Daniel told me this was a temporary arrangement. He said it would protect the family assets from his creditors."
Richard shook his head.
"I contacted our attorney. The truth is that if I had signed this agreement, your ownership rights would have been severely weakened. You could have lost control of almost everything."
Eleanor covered her mouth.
Richard continued.
"Daniel knew what the agreement meant. I know he did. I explained it to him."
His eyes filled with tears.
"And he still asked me to sign."
The room became painfully quiet.
Then Richard leaned closer to the camera.
"But there is something I haven't told you."
He looked directly into the lens.
"Daniel wasn't the person who first approached me with the plan."
Eleanor froze.
Richard reached for a glass of water.
"It was someone who knew exactly how our trust was structured. Someone who knew where the original documents were kept. Someone who had access to the family records long before Vanessa ever joined this family."
He paused.
"That person was Margaret Collins."
Eleanor felt the room tilt.
"No..."
She whispered the word without realizing it.
Richard continued.
"Margaret came to see me three months before I died. She told me Daniel was making dangerous financial decisions. She said she wanted to protect us."
He looked down.
"But when I investigated, I discovered that she had already received money from the investment group."
Eleanor stepped backward.
The woman who had held her hand at the funeral.
The woman who had sat beside her through sleepless nights.
The woman who had stood up at the gala and applauded when Vanessa's video was revealed.
Margaret.
Richard's voice became softer.
"I don't know whether Margaret began this because she believed she was helping Daniel or because she wanted something for herself. But I know she was involved."
The recording continued.
"There's another reason I didn't tell you earlier. I needed time to determine whether Daniel understood what he was doing."
Richard swallowed.
"I gave him an opportunity to come forward. He promised me he would."
He looked toward the door again.
"He didn't."
The video ended.
Eleanor stared at the screen.
For several minutes, she could not move.
Then her phone rang.
The caller's name appeared.
MARGARET COLLINS.
Eleanor stared at it.
The ringing continued.
Finally, she answered.
"Good morning, Eleanor!" Margaret said cheerfully. "I was just calling to see how you slept."
Eleanor said nothing.
"Are you there?"
"Yes."
"Are you all right? You sounded exhausted last night."
"I'm fine."
"Listen, I was thinking we should have breakfast together. There's something I wanted to discuss with you."
Eleanor looked at the laptop.
"What is it?"
Margaret hesitated.
"Not over the phone. I think it's better if we speak in person."
Eleanor closed her eyes.
"Of course."
"How about eleven?"
"That works."
"Wonderful. I'll see you soon."
The call ended.
Eleanor placed the phone on the desk.
She had spent the previous evening exposing Vanessa.
Now she was beginning to understand that Vanessa might not have been the person controlling the entire scheme.
Perhaps she had been only one part of something much larger.
And Margaret had been close enough to watch everything unfold.
At 10:52 a.m., a black Mercedes pulled into the Whitmore driveway.
Margaret stepped out wearing a pale blue coat.
She carried a bouquet of white roses.
Eleanor watched her from the upstairs window.
For a moment, she considered refusing to open the door.
But she needed answers.
She descended the staircase and opened it.
"Good morning, dear."
Margaret smiled and held out the flowers.
"I brought these for you."
Eleanor accepted them.
"Thank you."
Margaret looked at her face.
"You haven't slept, have you?"
"Not much."
"I can imagine. Last night must have been overwhelming."
Eleanor stepped aside.
"Come in."
Margaret entered the house.
She looked around the familiar hallway.
"Everything still feels so much like Richard."
Eleanor closed the door.
"Yes."
They walked into the living room.
Margaret placed her handbag beside the sofa.
"Would you like some tea?"
"No."
Margaret glanced at her.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
A silence settled between them.
Eleanor remained standing.
"Margaret, I watched something this morning."
Her friend looked up.
"What?"
"A recording Richard made before he died."
Margaret's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
Eleanor studied her.
"He mentioned your name."
Margaret's fingers tightened around her handbag.
For the first time since arriving, she looked uncomfortable.
"What exactly did he say?"