Chapter 7 - Eleanor Named A Different Thief
The name in Eleanor’s letter was Samuel Bennett.
Laura’s father.
Laura sat down.
“No.”
Samuel Bennett had died when Laura was sixteen.
She remembered him as gentle.
Funny.
A high-school history teacher who made pancakes every Sunday.
He had never been wealthy.
“How?”
Henry looked equally shocked.
Eleanor’s letter explained.
Samuel helped Rose House with grant applications and vendor paperwork.
He had access to account information.
Bellweather’s bank records showed deposits moving into an account linked
to Samuel’s younger brother, Peter Bennett.
But Eleanor believed Samuel authorized them.
Laura shook her head.
“My father stole from a women’s shelter?”
Charles interrupted.
“Read the rest.”
Eleanor had not been certain.
She wrote that Samuel admitted creating Bellweather but claimed he did
so at Edward Sterling’s request.
Edward said Rose House needed a separate vendor entity to receive
restricted donations and pay expenses faster.
Samuel trusted him.
Later, someone changed Bellweather’s bank destination.
Samuel discovered it too late.
He feared reporting the arrangement because he had created the shell
company and signed false vendor documents.
Margaret saw Samuel’s name.
She assumed Eleanor was protecting her husband.
Eleanor saw Edward’s lawyer involved.
She assumed Margaret was protecting hers.
Each woman had enough evidence to distrust the other.
Neither had enough to understand the entire scheme.
Sophie listened from the sofa.
“This is confusing.”
Laura wiped her eyes.
“It is.”
“Was Grandpa Samuel bad?”
Laura looked at the letter.
“I don’t know yet.”
Sophie frowned.
“But he did something wrong.”
“Yes.”
That distinction mattered.
Samuel had created deceptive paperwork.
Even if Edward manipulated him, Samuel made choices.
Then Victoria found another page.
Eleanor had written:
Peter knows where the original Bellweather ledger is.
Laura looked up.
Uncle Peter was alive.
May you like
He lived less than an hour away.
And Laura had not spoken to him in nine years.
