| For Love Or Money | ✔︎

Chapter Fifteen

"You can't be serious, Nancy !" Philip exclaimed. "Eleanor couldn't have done those things ---- any of them. Just one look at her ought to tell you that."

"Honestly," Karen agreed. "This whole thing is a farce. Eleanor, let me call Mr. Bishop. He'll straighten all this out ----"

"I'm going with Nancy," Eleanor calmly informed them. "This has gone on long enough, and it's got to stop. I don't want the police arresting the wrong person. You're innocent, all of you. I've got to take responsibility for what I've done."

"But ----" Philip stopped in midsentence, speechless.

"Mom, no !" Cecilia screamed, tugging at her mother as Eleanor turned toward the door. "Why are you doing this ?"

"I'm sorry, darling," Eleanor told her, kissing Cecilia's forehead. "There's no other way out."

"But it's all a lie," Cecilia said, turning to Nancy. "She's innocent ! Innocent !" Cecilia dissolved into tears, her body wracked with wrenching sobs as her mother, slipping gently from her grasp, followed Nancy out the door.

Nancy put an arm around Eleanor's shoulders and led her outside, while Philip and Jack restrained the hysterical Cecilia. The Mustang convertible waited at the bottom of the front steps, its motor running. Nancy opened the passenger door, flipped the front seat forward, and said, "Get in, Eleanor."

Bess was sitting behind the wheel. Eleanor seemed taken aback to see her there but climbed into the backseat dutifully. Nancy pushed the driver's seat back into position and climbed in beside Bess. "Okay, let's go," Nancy told her friend.

Bess started the car down the long driveway. Her jaw was hanging open in shock. Her eyes were blinking rapidly. "Eleanor ?!" She finally said. "Nan, there's got to be some mistake !"

"No, Bess," Nancy said. "There's no mistake. Eleanor's already confessed."

"Nan, Eleanor was not the one who threw the brick at Nila," Bess said. "Because I was with her in the house when it happened."

"What ? Are you sure ?"

"Sure I'm sure," Bess said. "We heard the scream, gave each other a look, and went running for the back door."

"Bess," Nancy scolded her. "Why didn't you tell me this before ?"

"You didn't ask me !" Bess shot back.

Nancy looked back at the house. She could see the faces clustered at the parlor window, watching them depart. She knew she had to think fast. "Keep driving !" She ordered.

Bess turned onto the main road, and the house disappeared from view.

"Okay, now pull over," Nancy said. Bess quickly did as she was told.

"Why are we stopping ?" Eleanor asked from the backseat. "What's going on ?"

"That game's over, Eleanor," Nancy told her. "Who did you think you were fooling ?"

"I ---" An alarmed expression spread across Eleanor's face. "Oh, but that brick falling was probably just an accident."

"I don't think so," Nancy countered. "Look, Eleanor ---- we want the truth. Now."

"I --- I don't know what you're talking about. I . . ."

"All right, Bess," Nancy said, getting out of the car. "Take Eleanor for a nice, long drive. Keep her occupied for the next hour or so."

"Wait !" Eleanor shouted. "Where are you going ?"

"Back to the house," Nancy informed her. "I was lying when I said I knew who the criminal was, but you do know, Eleanor. You've known all along. And now, I know, too."

"No --- no !" Eleanor cried out.

"When you saw that Nila had swallowed rat poison," Nancy went on, "you switched glasses with her to throw me off the track. Then you tried to throw the rat poison away. Lucky for me I caught you at it. And now you're going so far as to give yourself up in order to save someone else."

"No !" Eleanor gasped. "No, you've got it all wrong."

"I don't think so," Nancy said. "In fact, I'm sure I'm right. Okay, Bess, drive on." Nancy shut the door and the Mustang took off.

Nancy turned back toward the Pierce mansion, walking purposefully and swiftly. Eleanor had been protecting someone. She might also have been hiding evidence. If so, the guilty party might now try to destroy that evidence. There was no time to lose.

Jack was alone in the parlor when Nancy got back inside.

"Back so soon ?" He asked her. "Where's Eleanor ?"

"Bess is driving her down to police headquarters," Nancy said, only half fibbing. "Where is everyone ?"

Jack shrugged. "Cecilia ran off, hysterical. Karen went to call Bishop, to tell him about Eleanor's confession. As for Philip ---- who knows ? Maybe he's romancing Nila. Phil's an opportunist ---- and it can't hurt to get close to a potential heiress, can it ? Especially when the fortune she's going to inherit should have been his ----"

Nancy shook her head in disgust and left Jack sitting there. She headed for the main staircase that led upstairs. If Eleanor had been hiding any evidence, it would probably be in her suite somewhere. Nancy hoped Eleanor had had the foresight to lock her door against intruders.

As she walked down the carpeted hallway toward the stairs, Nancy felt a chill go up her spine. It was quiet ---- too quiet. No Cecilia sobbing, no murmuring voices talking to lawyers on telephones ---- nothing.

"Nancy !"

She nearly jumped at the sound of Philip's voice just inches behind her.

"Oh, you startled me !" She gasped. "Don't ever do that again."

"Sneaking up on somebody, were you ?" Philip asked. "I hope it wasn't me."

"No, I wasn't sneaking anywhere," Nancy replied. "You were sneaking up on me."

"Just to get a chance to kiss the back of your neck," Philip said with a smile.

"Not now, Philip," Nancy said. "I'm busy."

"With what ?" He wanted to know. "I thought you were taking Eleanor down to police headquarters."

"Bess is doing that for me. I've got work to do."

"Work ? But I thought the case was all wrapped up." He seemed genuinely puzzled and not a little intrigued. "What's left for you to do ?"

"I'll tell you in a little while," she said.

"Can't I come with you ?" He asked. "I've always wanted to know what it's like to be a detective and snoop around."

"Philip, please !" Nancy begged him. "There's no time to explain right now. Just wait for me in the parlor."

Philip sighed. "Oh, all right," he said, disappointed. "But you promise to show me what you find ?"

"I promise," Nancy said, exasperated. "Now go !"

Philip left her, and Nancy quickly ran upstairs, feeling more and more apprehensive. Nancy now thought she knew whom she was after ---- and if she was right, the danger was far from over.

She reached the second floor landing and stared down the hallway.

A woman's body was lying on the floor ---- it was Nila !

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𝑯𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 ! 𝑺𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 ! 𝑳𝒆𝒕'𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚'𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐 :)

𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Yours sincerely,
Ariel.