Chapter 7: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
"Is Eleanor still alive?""
The voice coming through the telephone was unmistakably male.
Thomas Reed stood in the doorway of my study, holding the receiver against his ear. His face had gone pale.
Nobody moved.
I looked at Rebecca.
She looked back at me.
Then I slowly stood.
"Thomas, put the call on speaker.""
He hesitated.
"Mrs. Hale...""
"Please.""
He pressed the button.
A faint crackle filled the room.
Then the voice returned.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?""
Rebecca stepped closer.
"This is attorney Rebecca Sloan. Who am I speaking with?""
There was a pause.
"Who is that?""
"Please identify yourself.""
Another pause.
Then the man said something that made my stomach tighten.
"My name is Arthur Whitmore.""
Lorraine grabbed the edge of the doorway.
"Arthur?""
The voice continued.
"I've been trying to reach Eleanor for three days. Tell her the arrangement has changed.""
I looked at Rebecca.
"Who is Eleanor?""
Rebecca didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she asked the caller, "Mr. Whitmore, what arrangement are you referring to?""
The man sighed.
"The property transfer, obviously. We can't keep delaying this.""
Lorraine stepped toward the telephone.
"Arthur, stop talking.""
The voice went silent.
Then it returned, sharper.
"Lorraine? Is that you?""
She reached for the receiver.
Thomas moved it away.
Rebecca raised her hand.
"Nobody touches that telephone.""
Arthur's voice became impatient.
"What's going on? Why is Rebecca Sloan there?""
Rebecca looked at me.
"He knows my name.""
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Mr. Whitmore," I said, "this is Margaret Hale.""
Silence.
Then a quiet laugh.
"Margaret. Well, this is unexpected.""
"Who is Eleanor?""
He didn't answer.
"Why did you ask whether she was alive?""
A longer pause followed.
Then Arthur said, "I think we've all misunderstood the situation.""
I almost laughed.
"That's a convenient phrase for people who have been caught.""
Lorraine shook her head frantically.
"Margaret, don't listen to him.""
Arthur's voice changed.
"Are you still in the house?""
"Yes.""
"Then you need to leave.""
I stared at the telephone.
"Excuse me?""
"You need to leave immediately. The property is no longer safe for you.""
Rebecca stepped forward.
"Mr. Whitmore, are you threatening Mrs. Hale?""
"No. I'm warning her.""
"About what?""
Arthur lowered his voice.
"About the people she's trusting.""
Then the line went dead.
Thomas slowly placed the receiver back in its cradle.
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Lorraine.
"Who is Eleanor?""
She shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"Your husband does.""
"He's confused.""
"About a woman he believes needs to authorize the transfer?""
Lorraine pressed her lips together.
Rebecca opened the blue folder.
"Margaret, I think we need to examine the historical records before making assumptions.""
She pulled out her phone and called someone.
"Hello, James. It's Rebecca Sloan. I need you to run a name through the property and corporate records. Eleanor.
E-L-E-A-N-O-R. The surname may have been different. Check any historical connection to the Hale Family Trust.""
She listened.
"Yes. As soon as possible.""
Then she ended the call.
I looked at her.
"Why would someone use a dead man's signature?""
Rebecca glanced toward the amended hospital document.
"Because the person who created it wanted to establish a false chain of authority. If they could make it appear that you had authorized Daniel, and Daniel had authority to act on your behalf, they might have hoped to make the transaction appear legitimate.""
"But Thomas Hale died eleven years ago.""
"Which makes the document even more suspicious.""
Lorraine suddenly spoke.
"You're all ignoring the obvious.""
Rebecca turned.
"What's that?""
"Someone is trying to frame me.""
I looked at her.
"Who?""
"I don't know.""
"Your husband?""
She flinched.
"Arthur would never do something like this.""
"Then why did he ask for Eleanor?""
Lorraine didn't answer.
Claire stood near the window, staring at her mother.
"Mom, I need you to tell me the truth.""
Lorraine looked at her.
"I have told you the truth.""
"No. You've told us what you want us to believe.""
"Claire, please.""
"Who is Eleanor?""
Lorraine's face tightened.
"She was a business associate.""
I felt my pulse quicken.
"Was?""
Lorraine looked away.
"She died years ago.""
Rebecca immediately asked, "When?""
"Eleven years ago.""
"How?""
"An accident.""
I stared at her.
"Was she related to my husband?""
Lorraine's eyes widened.
For a moment, she looked genuinely frightened.
Then she shook her head.
"No.""
But something in her voice told me she was lying.
Before Rebecca could question her further, Thomas returned from the study carrying a small black box.
"Mrs. Hale, I found something.""
"What is it?""
"The old telephone's call records.""
I frowned.
"That telephone hasn't been used in years.""
"Apparently, someone reconnected the line last month.""
Rebecca took the box.
"Who authorized that?""
Thomas checked the label.
"The request was submitted through the estate management account.""
"By whom?""
He looked uncomfortable.
"Mrs. Whitmore.""
Lorraine closed her eyes.
Rebecca placed the box on the table.
"Let's see the records.""
Thomas connected it to his laptop.
A list of incoming and outgoing calls appeared.
Most were ordinary service calls.
But one number appeared repeatedly.
Thirty-two calls over the previous six weeks.
All to the same contact.
*ELEANOR VALE.*
My breath caught.
Rebecca leaned closer.
"Do you recognize that name?""
I shook my head.
"No.""
Lorraine, however, had stopped breathing normally.
Claire noticed.
"Mom?""
Lorraine backed away.
"I need to make a call.""
Rebecca stood.
"Not until we've finished reviewing these records.""
"You cannot keep me here.""
"No one is keeping you here. But you should understand that leaving doesn't erase the records.""
Lorraine grabbed her handbag.
Then she looked at me.
"Margaret, you have no idea what you're dealing with.""
I met her eyes.
"Then tell me.""
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Instead, she turned and walked into the garden.
Rebecca watched her go.
Then she looked at me.
"I don't think this began six weeks ago.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What do you mean?""
She turned the laptop toward me.
"Look at the dates.""
The first call to Eleanor Vale had been made on September 18.
The same day the security cameras were disconnected.
The same week the additional study code was installed.
The same week Daniel had supposedly begun discussing the property investment with Victor.
I stared at the screen.
"Whoever Eleanor is, she's been involved from the beginning.""
Rebecca nodded.
"And someone has gone to considerable effort to hide her identity.""
Claire suddenly spoke.
"I know that name.""
We all turned toward her.
"Eleanor Vale?""
Claire nodded slowly.
"I've heard my mother mention her.""
"When?"" I asked.
"Last Christmas. She was on the phone in the kitchen. I remember her saying something like, 'Eleanor has waited long enough.''"
Rebecca immediately wrote it down.
"Did she say anything else?""
Claire closed her eyes, trying to remember.
"She said the house was the last piece.""
My hands went cold.
"The last piece of what?""
Claire shook her head.
"I don't know.""
Then she looked at Lorraine through the window.
"Mom ended the call when she noticed me.""
Rebecca picked up her phone.
"I need the police to preserve that telephone and its records.""
She made another call.
While she spoke, I walked toward the window.
Lorraine stood near the rose garden, holding her phone against her ear.
She was speaking rapidly.
Then she looked toward the house.
Our eyes met.
She immediately ended the call.
A moment later, she walked back inside.
"Arthur is coming," she announced.
Rebecca looked up.
"Why?""
"Because he needs to explain himself.""
I stared at her.
"Does he know Eleanor?""
Lorraine's expression hardened.
"Yes.""
"Who is she?""
Lorraine took a long breath.
Then she finally said:
"Eleanor Vale was my husband's first wife.""
The room seemed to tilt.
Claire looked at her mother.
"What?""
Lorraine's voice trembled.
"Arthur was married before me. Eleanor died eleven years ago. She had no children, and everyone believed her estate had been settled.""
I turned toward Rebecca.
"Why would a dead woman's estate have anything to do with my house?""
Rebecca didn't answer.
Instead, she looked at the amended authorization again.
Then she noticed something.
A small reference number printed at the bottom.
She read it aloud.
"EV-1147.""
I stared at the letters.
Eleanor Vale.
EV.
Rebecca's expression became very serious.
"Margaret, I think we need to investigate whether the original trust documents contain a reference to another beneficiary.""
"Another beneficiary?""
She nodded.
"Someone may have been attempting to use an old estate claim to challenge your authority.""
Lorraine shook her head.
"No. That's impossible.""
Rebecca turned toward her.
"Why?""
"Because Eleanor had nothing to do with Margaret's property.""
But Rebecca was already searching through the blue folder.
She removed the original trust agreement and turned to the final pages.
Then she stopped.
There, buried in a section I had never paid much attention to, was a clause referencing a prior family settlement.
A settlement dated twenty-three years earlier.
And a name.
*Eleanor Vale.*
Rebecca looked at me.
"Margaret, did Robert ever tell you that your husband had entered into a property agreement involving his brother and Eleanor Vale?""
I shook my head.
"Never.""
Rebecca turned the page.
"Then I think someone has been hiding a very important part of your family's history.""
Before I could ask another question, the front gate buzzer sounded.
Thomas checked the security monitor.
A black Mercedes was approaching the entrance.
He looked at the screen.
"Mrs. Hale, Mr. Whitmore has arrived.""
May you like
And behind his car was a second vehicle.
A police cruiser.
