Chapter 1 - The Final Letter
My legs collapsed beneath me right there in the dirt.
The lawyer caught me by the elbow before my knees could strike the gravel.
He helped me steady myself against the rusted side of my sister’s old trailer.
I stared down at the crisp white paper fluttering in my trembling hands.
The ink was unmistakably Garrett’s.
His handwriting had always slanted slightly to the right, a habit from his days drafting architectural blueprints.
The first sentence stole the breath right out of my lungs.
My dearest Eleanor, if you are reading this, it means my heart did not fail on its own.
I looked up at the man in the gray suit.
He was watching the dirt road behind his limousine with intense paranoia.
I forced my eyes back down to the page.
My children have spent the last five years quietly draining my company.
When I confronted them last night and threatened to call the authorities, they offered me a glass of wine to calm my nerves.
I fear I will not wake up tomorrow.
I married you quickly not just because I have loved you since 1972, but because a legal spouse is the only person who can inherit my hidden assets without their consent.
Inside this envelope is a key.
Use it to take exactly what you deserve.
I reached inside the envelope and felt the cold, heavy brass of an antique safe key.
“Who are you really?” I whispered to the lawyer.
He adjusted his tie and finally looked me in the eye.
“I am the man your husband hired to keep you alive.”
Before I could ask him what he meant, a terrifying sound echoed across the quiet valley.
It was the roar of three black SUVs turning off the main highway and tearing down the gravel road toward my trailer.
May you like
The lawyer shoved me toward the open door of his limousine.
“Get in right now, Eleanor, unless you want to end up exactly like Garrett.”
