“You are sitting down.”
Her eyes lifted to mine.
For the first time in thirteen years, I saw Eleanor completely stripped of certainty.
“He said there was an asset,” she whispered.
“What asset?”
“I assumed something connected to his business.”
“What did he actually say?”
She swallowed.
“That he expected money soon.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know.”
“How soon?”
“Before Thanksgiving.”
Thanksgiving was ten weeks away.
I leaned against the kitchen counter.
“And you never asked what he was selling?”
“He said it was complicated.”
Something inside me sank.
Not because I knew what Daniel had done.
Because I realized how much I didn’t know.
At 10:22, I called Priya Shah.
Her receptionist put me through almost immediately after I mentioned Cynthia.
Priya’s voice was warm but efficient.
I explained the previous night.
Then I explained the money.
She listened without interrupting.
When I finished, she asked one question.
