Chapter 4 - What Helen Knew
Ben leaned over his shoulder. "Did Helen tell Mallory about the necklace?"
"Not that I know of. Mom gave it to Claire the Tuesday before she died. I was outside talking to the nurse."
He remembered returning to the bedroom and finding Claire in tears while Helen smiled faintly against her pillows. The cross had rested in Claire's palm. Helen had worn it almost every day since Daniel was a boy, even after the chain began to wear a groove against her neck.
"Keep this safe," Helen had said. "Wear it for me when the time comes."
Daniel had assumed it was a simple gift. Now he wasn't sure.
He called Ruth. She answered on the first ring, her voice raw from crying.
"Did Mom tell Mallory she couldn't have the cross?" he asked.
Ruth went quiet. "Your mother spoke about it. She was worried Mallory would take it badly."
"Why?"
"Because Mallory had been asking her for things. Not just jewelry."
Daniel moved into the empty corridor. "What things?"
"Money. Access to her accounts. I told Helen to speak to somebody she trusted outside the family. Claire took her to an appointment."
"An appointment with who?"
"A bank representative, I think. Helen didn't want to put you in the middle of another fight with your sister."
"I need to know why Mallory attacked Claire," he said.
"Then start with the envelope Helen left in her kitchen drawer. She told me not to open it unless there was trouble. I thought she meant an argument over the service."
"What envelope?"
"It's addressed to you and Claire. Blue paper, next to her recipe box."
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"Ben," he said when he returned to the waiting room. "I need you to go to Mom's house. There's something in the kitchen."
Ben stood, then hesitated. "You should know something first. Mallory's friend called. She's telling everybody Claire stole the necklace and you tried to kill her."
