Chapter 3: The Envelopes in the Attic
By the third day, police detectives arrived at Clara’s bedside to record her official statement. Eleanor was currently being held without bail at the county jail on charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder.
“Mrs. Vance, we need to understand the motive,” Detective Miller said, pen poised over his notepad. “Why was Eleanor shouting about fifty thousand dollars?”
Clara looked at Mark, whose face was filled with confusion and grief. She took a deep breath, pain radiating across her abdomen with every breath.
“It wasn't stolen money,” Clara said softly. “Two months ago, while clearing out Mark’s late father’s old study in the attic, I found an old bank envelope hidden inside his antique desk. It contained a cashier’s check for fifty thousand dollars, made out to the 'Hope Foundation'—an orphanage my late mother founded.”
May you like
Mark gasped. “My father left that for your foundation?”
“Yes,” Clara explained. “Your father knew Eleanor’s gambling habits would swallow it whole if she found it. He left a note explicitly instructing me to cash it only after our baby was born, to secure the foundation’s future. But Eleanor found the bank slip in my purse last week. She thought I was hoarding her husband’s inheritance for myself.”
