“Why She Knew”

Chapter 2

Eleanor took the paper.

Her hands were shaking so violently she could barely unfold it.

It was Thomas’s handwriting. Frantic. Rushed. The ink smeared.

Eleanor. If you are reading this, the poison finally stopped my heart.

Eleanor stopped breathing.

She stared at the word.

Poison.

The coroner had ruled it a sudden, massive cardiac arrest. Natural causes for a man in his forties with a stressful life.

Her eyes darted back to the paper.

Arthur found out about Leo three weeks ago. He didn’t just want the boy gone. He wanted me gone so he could reclaim my shares before the board meeting. I drank the wine, El. I knew it was laced, but I had to buy Leo time to run.

A tear dropped onto the page, smudging the ink further.

Protect my son. Look inside the watch. Do not trust Vance.

Eleanor snapped her head up.

Mr. Vance was standing too close, trying to read the letter over her shoulder. His eyes were wide, calculating, scanning the bloody paper.

"What did he write to you, Eleanor?" Arthur demanded, stepping forward.

Eleanor quickly crumpled the paper into her fist.

"A goodbye," she lied smoothly, her voice eerily calm.

She looked at her father. Really looked at him. The man wasn't just a tyrant. He was a murderer. He had killed his own son to keep a grip on his empire.

And Mr. Vance knew. He had to know. The rushed will, the police outside—it was a setup.

"We are leaving," Eleanor announced. She picked Leo up into her arms. He was surprisingly light for his age.

"You are going nowhere," Arthur commanded, signaling to the two massive security guards at the back doors. They moved to block the exit.

Eleanor looked at the coffin. Then at Vance.

"Vance, you said there are police outside?" she asked.

"Yes, to ensure the reading of the—"

"Scream," Eleanor whispered into Leo's ear.

Leo didn't hesitate.

The little boy opened his mouth and let out a blood-curdling, terrified shriek that shattered the parlor's tense silence.

"HELP! HE’S HURTING HER!" Leo screamed at the top of his lungs.

The heavy wooden doors burst open from the outside.

Uniformed officers rushed in.

In the chaos, Eleanor gripped Leo's hand and slipped through the side exit leading to the mortuary basement.

They were running in the dark when she heard the distinct, chilling click of a gun cocking behind them.

"Stop right there, Eleanor."

The voice echoed off the cold tile of the mortuary basement.

Eleanor froze. She pushed Leo behind her legs, shielding him in the dim, fluorescent light.

She turned slowly.

It was Mr. Vance.

He wasn't holding a briefcase anymore. He was holding a suppressed pistol, aimed directly at her chest.

"I really hoped you wouldn't read that letter until you got home," Vance sighed, adjusting his glasses. "It makes things so messy when people read ahead."

"You helped my father kill Thomas," Eleanor breathed, her mind racing.

"I am a lawyer, Eleanor. I protect the estate. Thomas was going to burn the estate to the ground for this little bastard." Vance gestured to Leo with the barrel of the gun. "Arthur couldn't let that happen. And neither can I."

"Then why the theatrical display upstairs? Why read the will?"

"Because the board of directors needed to see Arthur temporarily lose control, so I could swoop in as the hero who contested the trust," Vance smiled thinly. "But you and the boy have to suffer a tragic car accident on the way home. A grieving sister, overcome with emotion. It happens."

He raised the gun toward Leo's head.

"Nothing personal, kid."

Eleanor didn't think. She threw herself forward, grabbing the nearest heavy object—a brass embalming fluid canister—and hurled it at Vance's face.

Vance ducked, firing a shot.

The bullet grazed Eleanor’s shoulder, a searing line of fire tearing through her black dress. She cried out, stumbling into the stainless steel autopsy table.

Vance aimed again, his eyes narrowing.

Suddenly, a deafening CRASH echoed through the basement.

A black SUV had literally driven through the chained loading dock doors, sending splinters of wood and metal flying across the room.

The vehicle slammed the brakes, screeching to a halt between Eleanor and Vance.

The tinted passenger window rolled down.

A woman with hollow cheeks, wild dark hair, and a familiar face stared out.

Eleanor gasped.