Chapter 5 - The Suspicion
The incredibly tense atmosphere inside the house grew remarkably thick, feeling exactly like a ticking bomb waiting to violently explode.
Eleanor was becoming increasingly suspicious of me, constantly hovering around the kitchen whenever I prepared the daily meals for Beatrice.
She actually began meticulously counting the remaining sedative pills in the orange prescription bottles, trying to ensure I wasn't skipping any doses.
I had to be incredibly careful, perfectly replacing the exact number of stolen pills with my visually identical, harmless vitamins.
Every single time I handed the heavy tray to Beatrice, I felt the terrifying weight of my husband's murderous gaze on my back.
Julian started randomly working from home, pacing the wooden hallways and constantly checking the locks on the heavy front door.
He was acting incredibly paranoid, aggressively snapping at me over minor things like the temperature of his expensive coffee.
“The massive bank transfer has been slightly delayed by a federal compliance check,” he yelled at his mother in the living room one afternoon.
“If the bank starts asking too many questions about her mental competency, this entire operation will completely fall apart!”
Eleanor calmly poured herself another massive glass of expensive wine, looking entirely unbothered by his sudden, chaotic panic.
“Calm down, Julian, the corrupt doctor we paid off has already submitted the falsified psychiatric evaluation to the bank,” she sneered.
“By tomorrow night, the offshore accounts will be completely drained, and we can finally send the old bat to a cheap state facility.”
I stood perfectly still in the shadowy hallway, quietly recording their entire illegal conversation on my hidden, encrypted smartphone.
Every single word they spoke was absolute, undeniable gold for the federal prosecutor who was secretly building our massive case.
Later that evening, I snuck back into the guest bedroom to give Beatrice her final meal of the long day.
“They are officially panicking, Beatrice, the bank has delayed the massive transfer because of a standard compliance check,” I whispered.
A brilliant, victorious smile instantly spread across her wrinkled face, making her look incredibly powerful despite her physical weakness.
“That wasn't a standard compliance check, Clara, that was the federal prosecutor officially freezing my offshore accounts,” she laughed quietly.
“They are completely trapped now, and they have absolutely no idea that the walls are rapidly closing in on them.”
But our brief moment of joyful victory was instantly shattered by the sound of heavy footsteps rapidly approaching the bedroom door.
Eleanor aggressively pushed the door open, staring directly at the half-empty bowl of oatmeal sitting on Beatrice's lap.
“Why is she sitting up so straight, Clara?” Eleanor demanded coldly, her sharp eyes darting suspiciously between me and the old woman.
“She should be completely unconscious by now with the heavy dosage I explicitly told you to give her.”
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I quickly stood up, desperately trying to block Eleanor's view of Beatrice’s unusually alert and focused eyes.
“She just woke up for a brief moment, Eleanor, I was about to lay her back down to sleep,” I lied, my heart pounding violently.
