Chapter 14 - The Mother Who Knew
Nathan had barely spoken to Eleanor Cole since his father’s funeral.
She lived in Palm Beach.
Attended benefits.
Funded museums.
Avoided anything unpleasant.
Nathan flew to Florida that afternoon.
Grace and Lily remained under federal protection.
Eleanor received him beside her swimming pool.
She looked composed until he placed Daniel Ross’s bank records on the table.
Then her hand trembled.
“How much did you know?”
Nathan asked.
Eleanor looked away.
“Nathan.”
“How much?”
She closed her eyes.
“Enough.”
Nathan felt something inside him harden.
“You knew Grace was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Father forced her away.”
“Yes.”
Nathan stared at his mother.
“And you did nothing.”
Eleanor’s voice cracked.
“I was afraid.”
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
Eleanor stood.
“You think Richard only threatened businesses?”
“He threatened children.”
“Families.”
“Anyone.”
Nathan leaned forward.
“So you paid Daniel?”
Eleanor went silent.
Nathan’s anger rose.
“Why?”
“To watch you.”
Nathan stared.
“To protect you.”
“From what?”
“Your father.”
The answer stunned him.
Eleanor explained that Thomas had become increasingly unstable during the final year of his life.
Not emotionally unstable.
Desperate.
He planned to expose Richard publicly.
But doing so could trigger criminal investigations into Cole Industries as well.
Thomas had authorized bribes.
False reports.
Illegal surveillance.
Even if he confessed, Nathan could lose the company.
Eleanor hired Daniel to monitor Thomas.
“Then Thomas died.”
Nathan said.
Eleanor nodded.
“And you kept Daniel.”
“I thought Richard killed him.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“So you paid Daniel to investigate.”
“At first.”
Eleanor began crying.
“Then Daniel told me he had proof Richard planned to kill you too.”
Nathan stared at her.
“What proof?”
“I never saw it.”
“But I believed him.”
Nathan understood.
Daniel had manipulated everyone.
Richard.
Eleanor.
Perhaps even Victoria.
“What did you give Daniel access to?”
Eleanor’s silence frightened him.
“Mother.”
“All estate security systems.”
“All private travel records.”
“Some corporate servers.”
Nathan turned away.
Daniel had not merely worked for Richard.
He had built a private information network around the entire family.
Eleanor reached for Nathan’s arm.
“There is something else.”
Nathan stopped.
“After your father died, Daniel brought me his watch.”
Nathan slowly turned.
“What watch?”
“The gold one your grandfather gave him.”
“He said Thomas had removed it before his heart attack.”
Nathan frowned.
His father never removed that watch.
Eleanor opened a drawer.
The watch lay inside.
Nathan examined it.
The back was scratched.
He pressed the crown.
Nothing happened.
Then he noticed the second hand was frozen at 11:17.
Eleanor whispered.
“That was not the time your father died.”
Nathan looked at her.
“What time was it?”
“According to the death certificate, 1:42 in the morning.”
Nathan felt a chill.
Someone had stopped the watch more than two hours earlier.
He turned it over.
Tiny letters had been etched beside the clasp.
N.C.
B-117.
Nathan stared.
He recognized the format.
It was not an engraving.
It was a storage reference.
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A private safe-deposit facility in Manhattan used coded basement vaults.
B-117 was a box number.
