A tear fell from my cheek onto the blanket.

I stood up and walked back to the hallway, closing the door quietly.

As I walked back down the stairs, I heard Nora and Richard speaking in low voices.

“Margaret has been spending a lot of money lately,” Nora was saying.

“More than usual, even for her.”

“Do we know where it’s going?” Richard asked.

“Not yet,” Nora said. “But her bank accounts show massive, regular withdrawals.”

“It doesn’t look like legal fees or charity.”

“We need to find out what she’s hiding,” Richard said.

I walked back into the library, and they both looked up.

“I couldn’t stay upstairs,” I said.

“Sit down, Emily,” Richard said, pulling out a chair for me.

He poured me a glass of water and set it in front of me.

“We were just looking at the timeline of Margaret’s recent financial activity,” Nora said.

“She has been liquidating assets.”

“Why?” I asked. “She is incredibly wealthy.”

“Wealthy people can still run out of cash if they have secrets,” Nora said.

“Or debts,” Richard added.