Chapter 16 - The wicked bargain
Eleanor picked up the heavy plastic telephone receiver, a sickening, triumphant smile spreading across her unmakeuped face. "I heard you lost your beautiful new mansion last night, Rowan," she taunted smoothly. "News travels incredibly fast in the criminal underworld." I gripped my side of the receiver so tightly my knuckles turned completely white. "I am not here to play your twisted games, Eleanor," I said firmly. "I need the encryption cipher for Arthur's master ledger, and I know you have it." Eleanor let out a loud, genuine laugh that echoed terribly through the sterile room. "And why on earth would I give you the only piece of leverage I have left in this miserable existence?" she asked, leaning closely against the bulletproof glass. "Because if Victor gets his hands on Lila, he will completely absorb Arthur's fortune, and you will rot in this cell forever without a single penny," I countered, bluffing desperately.
Eleanor’s cruel smile slightly faded, her calculating eyes scanning my face for any sign of weakness. She hated me, but she worshipped money and power more than anything else in the world. "I want a full federal pardon," Eleanor demanded arrogantly. "I want to walk out of this prison a free woman, and I want ten million dollars wired to an offshore account in the Cayman Islands." I stared at the woman who had made my childhood a living hell. She was completely utterly devoid of a soul. "I can give you the money, but I do not have the power to pardon a convicted murderer," I told her truthfully. Eleanor sighed dramatically, inspecting her chipped fingernails. "Arthur was a sentimental old fool," she finally whispered. "He did not use a mathematical algorithm for his encryption. He used something deeply personal." I leaned forward, hanging onto her every single word. "Before Arthur died, he gave Lila a cheap, plastic music box at the nursing home," Eleanor revealed. "The notes of that specific song, played in reverse order, are the digital key to unlocking the master ledger." I stood up abruptly, slamming the receiver down on the hook. "If this is a lie, Eleanor, I swear I will come back here and finish what you started on that airplane," I threatened through the thick glass. She just smiled her wicked smile as the guards dragged her back to her cell.
