Chapter 9 - THE PROMISE MY HUSBAND NEVER MADE
No one spoke for a moment.
Thomas had died in February, four years earlier, after a long illness that gave us time for difficult conversations and very little time for peace.
He had been lucid until the end.
If he had approved an enormous financial arrangement, I would have known.
"Show me the document," I told Adam.
He took his phone from his pocket with shaking fingers.
The file he opened looked like a letter of intent, dated five years earlier.
It bore Thomas's printed name beneath a signature.
I read the first page without allowing my expression to change.
The language was full of promises Thomas would never have made, including an unconditional pledge to finance Price Meridian projects.
The signature looked convincing.
The date did not.
On the day specified, Thomas and I had been in Vermont celebrating our anniversary.
He had suffered a minor stroke that winter and was unable to use his right hand normally for several weeks.
Any signature he made during that period looked unsteady.
The document showed his familiar strong handwriting.
"This is false," I said.
Adam gave an anguished shake of his head.
"Graham showed me the original."
"Where?"
"His office."
"Did you see Thomas sign it?"
"Of course not."
"Then what makes you certain it is genuine?"
He looked down.
It was painful to watch him discover the difference between a claim he wanted to believe and evidence he could defend.
Graham scoffed.
"Your late husband was a shrewd man. He understood opportunity."
"He also understood when somebody was lying to him."
Celeste suddenly spoke.
"Graham, please stop."
All eyes turned toward her.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered.
"What wasn't?" I asked.
She stared at Vanessa, not her husband.
"The account was supposed to cover the reception. Nothing more."
Vanessa's face went white.
"Mother, don't."
"You said the other papers were for a temporary arrangement."
Graham moved between us.
"My wife is upset."
Celeste looked directly at me.
"I saw Richard bring a box of Whitmore records to our house."
"When?"
"Three nights ago."
"Where is the box now?"
Her mouth trembled.
"Graham took it somewhere this morning."
At that moment Ellen received an email from Nathaniel Cross.
She reviewed the attached guarantee, then looked straight into the camera.
"Margaret, there is something stamped on the final page."
"What?"
"A notarization."
She paused.
May you like
"The notary is Adam Whitmore."
