Chapter 11 - I Asked Him to Show Me My Signature
The room became so quiet I could hear the ice settling inside Richard’s glass.
I looked at Eric as if I were confused.
“What papers?”
He realized too late what he had said.
“The preliminary documents.”
“What preliminary documents?”
Malcolm stood.
“I should leave.”
“No,” I said calmly. “Please stay.”
Eric forced a laugh.
“Clara, you’re tired. We can talk tomorrow.”
“I’d rather talk now.”
Eleanor interrupted.
“This is obviously a misunderstanding.”
I turned toward her.
“Then explaining it should be easy.”
Sarah stared at her plate.
Richard began sweating.
I placed my phone face down on the table.
It was recording.
“So show me.”
Eric’s jaw tightened.
“Show you what?”
“My signature.”
He looked toward Malcolm.
That glance was enough.
Malcolm slowly opened his briefcase.
He pulled out the guarantee.
I examined the document as if seeing it for the first time.
“That isn’t my signature.”
Eric sighed theatrically.
“You signed a stack of papers before leaving.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You probably forgot.”
“I also forgot Helen Morrison came back from the dead.”
Malcolm froze.
Eleanor whispered, “What?”
I pointed to the notarization.
“Helen died eighteen months ago.”
Nobody spoke.
Then I looked directly at Eric.
“And I wasn’t in Paris.”
The color disappeared from his face.
I pressed play on my phone.
His own voice filled the dining room.
While she’s in Paris, we’ll cancel her credit cards…
Eleanor sat down hard.
Richard swore.
Malcolm closed his eyes.
Eric lunged for the phone.
I stepped backward.
The front door opened.
Rachel entered with two investigators and a uniformed officer.
No one was handcuffed immediately.
No dramatic shouting.
Just names, instructions, and stunned silence.
Eric stared at me as if I had become a stranger.
Then one investigator asked Malcolm Price to step into the study.
Malcolm looked at Eric.
“I told you the dead notary was a mistake.”
Eric’s head snapped toward him.
That was when I realized something.
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Malcolm had already made a deal.
And he had brought more evidence than Martin Vale.
