Chapter 5 - THE YELLOW ENVELOPE
Paul Danner had worked at Bennett House longer than Serena had. He had fixed the boiler the winter Owen and I got married. He taught every new employee which doors stuck and which elevators complained.
"Paul wouldn't risk his job for Serena," Owen said.
Tessa looked at him. "He already did."
Detective Ellis asked us not to confront him. Instead, Owen suspended access to the hotel's surveillance system and brought in an outside technician. I watched him make the calls from beside my hospital bed.
"Why didn't you do that when I first complained?" I asked afterward.
"Because the paperwork seemed like a family argument."
"And the pool?"
He sat down. "There isn't a good answer to that."
I appreciated the honesty. It didn't erase the hesitation.
That evening, someone sent my phone a photograph. It showed my wheelchair at the rooftop edge an hour before the party, empty, with a piece of red ribbon tied around one rear brake lever.
No message. No name.
I zoomed in. Serena's silver manicure flashed in the polished railing beside the chair. I couldn't make out her face.
"Who sent this?" Owen asked.
"Unknown number."
The phone rang before we could discuss it. An unfamiliar man said, "Mrs. Bennett, you're asking the wrong questions."
"Who is this?"
"Tell your husband to look at the pool renovation account. Then ask him who benefits if you never leave the hospital."
The line went dead.
I stared at Owen. His expression had turned hard and distant.
"What account?" I asked.
May you like
He answered too slowly.
"The one my mother left in trust."
