I established certain protections because I wanted the things I worked for to be used according to my wishes. Harbor House was especially important to me. It was never meant to become a tool for anyone's private ambitions.
If you discover that something has happened to those arrangements, I want you to ask for the truth.
Do not let anyone convince you that asking questions makes you disloyal.
Most importantly, remember that I love you, and I am proud of the woman you have become.
Love,
Dad."
Naomi lowered the letter.
For years, she had wondered whether her father had secretly been disappointed in her. Eleanor had often said that Frank felt abandoned when Naomi left the estate.
Now his own words told a different story.
She pressed the letter gently against the table.
NAOMI: "He knew something was wrong."
Richard nodded.
RICHARD: "He suspected that certain decisions were being made without proper authorization. He asked me to preserve the evidence."
NAOMI: "Did he know who was responsible?"
RICHARD: "He was trying to establish that before his health deteriorated."
Naomi looked toward her mother.
NAOMI: "Did Father ever ask you to keep me away?"
Eleanor's eyes narrowed.
ELEANOR: "Your father was very ill. He needed peace."
NAOMI: "That isn't what I asked."
ELEANOR: "You were always difficult to deal with. Every conversation became an argument."
NAOMI: "I was trying to speak to my father."
Richard opened another folder.
RICHARD: "There are records of several attempts to contact Naomi during that period. Some messages were received by the estate, but there is no evidence that they were forwarded to Frank."
Naomi looked at him sharply.
NAOMI: "You mean my messages?"
RICHARD: "Yes. We have copies of the correspondence and telephone records."
Naomi remembered the calls she had made from unfamiliar hotels and military offices. She remembered asking Eleanor whether Frank was available, only to be told that he was resting.
NAOMI: "I was told he didn't want to speak to me."
Eleanor looked down.
Richard continued.
RICHARD: "We are trying to establish who handled the incoming communications and why certain messages were not delivered."
Naomi felt her throat tighten.
The financial records were one thing. The possibility that someone had deliberately kept her from speaking to her dying father was something entirely different.
NAOMI: "I need to know what happened during those final months."
RICHARD: "We will establish the timeline. There are several people who handled the estate's administrative records."
NAOMI: "Who?"
RICHARD: "One of them is Thomas Reed. He was responsible for processing certain instructions and maintaining the correspondence."
Naomi searched her memory.
She remembered Thomas from family meetings when she was younger. He had always been quiet, carrying documents between Frank and the business office.
NAOMI: "Does he still work with the family?"
RICHARD: "He no longer manages the estate, but he has retained copies of certain records."
NAOMI: "Then I want to speak with him."
Richard nodded.
RICHARD: "I have already contacted him. He agreed to meet us."
Eleanor suddenly became tense.
ELEANOR: "Thomas has no reason to be involved in this."
Richard looked at her.
RICHARD: "He processed the original instructions. His account may help establish what happened."
ELEANOR: "He was only an employee."
RICHARD: "An employee who may have received important instructions."
Sebastian stood.
SEBASTIAN: "This meeting is over."
Naomi looked at him.
NAOMI: "You can leave if you want. I'm not finished."
SEBASTIAN: "You have no idea what you're getting into."
NAOMI: "Then explain it to me."
He stared at her.
For a few seconds, he seemed ready to respond. But instead, he looked toward Eleanor.
That brief glance told Naomi more than his words had.
He knew something.
And her mother knew he knew.
Richard closed the folder.
RICHARD: "We should continue this with the complete records present. There is no benefit in arguing without evidence."
Naomi stood and placed her father's letter carefully inside her handbag.
She looked at Eleanor one final time.
NAOMI: "I trusted you when you told me Father was being taken care of. I trusted you when you said there was nothing important I needed to know. I trusted you when you told me he didn't want to speak to me."
Eleanor's expression remained rigid.
NAOMI: "I don't know what happened yet. But I intend to find out."
She left the room with Richard.
Outside, the gala was slowly returning to normal. The orchestra had resumed playing, and the guests were returning to their tables. Several veterans greeted Naomi respectfully as she passed.
Master Chief Brooks approached her near the corridor.
MASTER CHIEF BROOKS: "Are you doing all right, Admiral?"
NAOMI: "I'm managing. Thank you."