Funeral Guests Ignore Elderly Woman—Until She Reveals Shocking Truth About the Deceased
Chapter 4
The reading of the will was scheduled for Monday morning.
By Sunday evening, Eleanor had received three phone calls.
The first came from an unknown number.
The second came from Jonathan.
The third came from Patricia.
She answered Patricia’s call.
“Mrs. Brooks?”
“Yes.”
“This is Patricia Whitmore.”
“I know.”
There was silence.
“I understand you knew my husband.”
“I did.”
“Jonathan tells me you have documents.”
“I do.”
“What kind?”
“Documents Daniel wanted preserved.”
Patricia’s voice became colder.
“Mrs. Brooks, my husband was very ill near the end.”
“I know.”
“He wasn’t always thinking clearly.”
“He was.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I knew him before you did.”
Another silence.
Patricia lowered her voice.
“Whatever Daniel told you, please don’t cause unnecessary pain for our family.”
Eleanor looked out the window.
“Truth doesn’t cause pain.”
“What does?”
“Being lied to.”
Patricia hung up.
Eleanor knew then that trouble was coming.
The next morning, Jonathan arrived at Eleanor’s small apartment.
He looked exhausted.
“Why are you here?”
“I need answers.”
Eleanor invited him inside.
He looked around.
The apartment was tiny.
Old furniture.
A modest kitchen.
Photographs on the wall.
Jonathan noticed one.
It showed a young Daniel standing beside Eleanor.
He was twenty-six.
Eleanor was thirty-nine.
Between them was a wooden sign:
BROOKS MACHINE WORKS.
Jonathan stared.
“Where was this taken?”
“Outside our first workshop.”
“Our?”
Eleanor nodded.
“Daniel didn’t tell you?”
“No.”
She went to a cabinet.
She removed a metal box.
“This is everything.”
Jonathan opened it.
Inside were receipts.
Bank statements.
Old photographs.
Letters.
Contracts.
And one handwritten ledger.
He picked it up.
“What is this?”
“The original investment records.”
He opened it.
The first entry read:
Eleanor Brooks — $8,400.
Jonathan looked up.
“She invested in Dad’s company?”
“I did.”
“How much did you own?”
“Twenty percent.”
Jonathan stared.
“Twenty percent?”
“At the beginning.”
“Then what happened?”
Eleanor smiled sadly.
“Daniel promised to buy my share once the company became profitable.”
“Did he?”
“Eventually.”
Jonathan looked relieved.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“He bought it for ten thousand dollars.”
Jonathan froze.
“Ten thousand?”
“He said he needed the money to keep the company alive.”
Jonathan looked at the documents.
“And you agreed?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I believed him.”
Jonathan sat down.
“How much was the company worth?”
“At that time?”
“Yes.”
“About twelve million.”
Jonathan stared at her.
“You sold twenty percent of a twelve-million-dollar company for ten thousand dollars?”
Eleanor nodded.
“I didn’t care about the money.”
“Then what?”
“I cared about Daniel keeping his employees.”
Jonathan looked at her.
“And he promised he’d make it right?”
“Yes.”
“Did he?”
Eleanor looked toward the window.
“No.”
Jonathan closed his eyes.
“Why didn’t you sue?”
“Because Daniel wasn’t always the man you see in those photographs.”
Jonathan looked at her.
“What happened to him?”
Eleanor shook her head.
“That’s what I’m trying to understand.”
Then she handed him another letter.
“Read that.”
Jonathan unfolded it.
It was written by Daniel.
His hands began shaking.
The first line said:
Eleanor, if you are reading this, then I have failed you for too many years.
Jonathan looked at Eleanor.
“What did my father do?”
She answered quietly.
“He forgot who saved him.”
