Chapter 10 - Nora admits she suspected Vanessa earlier
I was angry at Nora.
That surprised her.
“You think I poisoned you?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“You had concerns for six weeks.”
“About invoices.”
“You did not tell me.”
“You were conflicted.”
“I’m board chair.”
“You were engaged to the vendor.”
“I recused.”
“Exactly.”
That was a fair answer.
Not complete.
“Then why warn me about drinking anything?”
“Because Colin called.”
“And the receipt.”
“Yes.”
“You put those together immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Nora hesitated.
Then:
“Because there was another incident.”
My stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
“What incident?”
At a small foundation dinner, I became violently ill after eating.
Vomiting.
Dizziness.
Emergency department.
Doctors called it likely foodborne illness.
Nobody else at my table became sick.
Vanessa had brought me a cup of tea before symptoms began.
Nora thought nothing of it then.
After seeing the specialty-compound receipt, she remembered.
“Did you tell police?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before today?”
“Because I had no evidence Vanessa did anything three months ago.”
She was right.
Still.
“Did you think she had poisoned me before?”
“I thought it was possible.”
I stared.
That word.
Possible.
Then Nora said:
“I was afraid if I told you without evidence, you’d think I was trying to destroy your relationship.”
Would I have?
Maybe.
That answer hurt.
I had spent two years telling Nora she needed to give Vanessa a chance.
Eventually Nora stopped bringing concerns unless she could document them.
May you like
I had trained the family around me to present evidence before discomfort.
Claire would have hated that.
