Chapter 6 - Eleanor Had Found It Before I Left Ben
Vanessa arrived at eight fifteen.
I had not called her.
Eleanor had.
That was useful information by itself.
Vanessa got out of her car wearing sunglasses despite the gray morning.
She saw Ray.
Stopped.
“You.”
Ray said nothing.
Then she saw the key in my hand.
Her face changed.
“Olivia.”
“Did you take Grandma's brooch?”
Eleanor stepped between us.
“Not in front of contractors.”
I laughed.
“Your concern for privacy has excellent timing.”
Vanessa pulled off her sunglasses.
Her left cheek still had a faint red mark where she hit the floor after I shoved her.
I did not feel good about that.
I also did not pretend it made yesterday equal.
“You reported me?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Her mouth opened.
Eleanor turned sharply toward me.
“You called police.”
“I documented an adult deliberately striking my two-year-old son's chair with a metal pan.”
“I didn't hit Noah,” Vanessa said.
“Stop saying that.”
Silence.
I held up the key.
“Did you steal the brooch?”
Vanessa looked at Eleanor.
Wrong person.
“Look at me.”
She did.
“Yes.”
First clean answer.
“Why?”
She folded her arms.
“I needed money.”
“For what?”
“My company.”
“Ben lent you eighteen thousand.”
Her face changed.
“So he told you.”
“Finally.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“He's enjoying this.”
“No.”
That answer came automatically because I knew Ben well enough.
“He's embarrassed.”
That shut her up.
“Did you plan to sell the brooch to repay him?”
“Partly.”
“What was the rest?”
“Payroll.”
I stared.
“You stole from Mom to keep employees paid.”
“I was going to replace it.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
Vanessa snapped:
“I know how stupid that sounds.”
“Good.”
“I panicked.”
“Then Ben caught you.”
“Yes.”
“He put it back.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Vanessa looked at Ray.
Then at our mother.
“I took it again.”
My stomach tightened.
Ben had not known that.
“When?”
“After he left.”
“You went back into the study.”
“Yes.”
“Then?”
“I called Mom.”
I turned toward Eleanor.
She stared at Vanessa.
“What did you tell her?”
Vanessa's voice changed.
“That I'd done something bad.”
“Did you tell her Ben caught you?”
“Yes.”
“So Mom knew his lie was covering you.”
“Yes.”
Eleanor cut in.
“Ben was covering himself too.”
I turned.
“We know.”
That surprised her.
I continued:
“He hid the loan. He hid his business debt. He lied about the study.”
“Yes.”
Eleanor sounded relieved.
I hated that.
“But he didn't steal your brooch.”
“No.”
“And you let me believe he did.”
She looked directly at me.
“I let you believe he might have.”
The smallest sentence again.
“What difference do you think that makes?”
“I never told you he stole it.”
“No. You asked why a man drowning in debt was alone with expensive jewelry.”
Eleanor's jaw tightened.
“You were already frightened by what he had hidden.”
“Yes.”
“Was I wrong about that?”
“No.”
Vanessa looked between us.
I saw something in her face.
Impatience.
Maybe fear.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“Say it.”
She looked away.
“Ben wasn't innocent.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Vanessa looked at me.
“You don't know everything.”
I almost laughed.
“Then today seems like a fantastic time.”
Eleanor said:
“Vanessa.”
“No, Mom.”
For once, she sounded angry at Eleanor.
Vanessa looked at me.
“The eighteen thousand wasn't his spare business money.”
My chest tightened.
“What was it?”
“He had borrowed it.”
“From who?”
“He used a line of credit.”
I stared.
“For your company?”
“Yes.”
“Without telling me.”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
That was worse.
Not theft.
Still financial deception while we were expecting a baby.
Vanessa continued:
“And when Mom found out, she thought he was dragging you into debt for me.”
I looked at Eleanor.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me that.”
“I tried.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“You gave me a true problem and attached a false suspicion because the false suspicion made my decision easier.”
Eleanor went still.
Vanessa did too.
My mother's voice lowered.
“You were eight months pregnant. His company was failing. Your sister was taking money from him. He lied to you. You were scared.”
“Yes.”
“And I believed you needed out.”
“That was my decision.”
“You weren't making it.”
“Then let me not make it.”
Silence.
That sentence seemed to offend her more than any accusation.
Behind us, a contractor rolled a cart past the open service door.
Real life waiting.
I held up the key.
“We open the cabinet now.”
Eleanor looked at Vanessa.
Vanessa looked down.
Then my mother said:
“If you see that brooch, don't turn Ben into the husband he wasn't.”
I put the key into the workshop door lock? No.
The workshop itself was already open.
The steel cabinet waited against the far wall.
Old gray paint.
One brass keyhole.
“I don't need him innocent of everything.”
May you like
I walked toward it.
“I need you guilty of what you actually did.”
