Chapter 4 - THE WOMAN IN THE BLACK UNIFORM
The week of the gala, Eleanor learned that Harbor Light had hired temporary staff to help serve guests. Vanessa had insisted on a lavish reception with a full banquet, a champagne tower, and a professionally staged award presentation. The additional costs had been approved despite the unfinished community center.
Eleanor offered to help because the foundation was short of volunteers. Robert advised her not to put herself in an uncomfortable position, especially while the audit was underway.
“I can carry a tray,” she told him. “And I want to see how Vanessa handles the evening.”
Robert frowned. “Please be careful. I don’t want you exposed to retaliation.”
“I’m seventy, Robert. I’ve survived difficult people before.”
He did not like it, but he respected her choice. Eleanor agreed to work only in the service area and avoid discussing the investigation.
She wore a simple black uniform provided by the catering company. Her gray hair was pinned neatly at the back of her head, and she wore flat shoes instead of the dress shoes she kept for special occasions. No one in the ballroom would have recognized her as one of Harbor Light’s private donors.
Vanessa certainly did not.
At the venue, Vanessa swept through the staff entrance wearing a gold gown and a diamond necklace. She was checking place cards when she saw Eleanor carrying a tray.
Her expression turned poisonous.
“What are you doing here?”
“Helping the catering team.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“We’re short-staffed.”
Vanessa glanced toward the ballroom doors. “You are not to speak to any donors. You are not to appear in photographs. And if anyone asks, you’re temporary staff.”
Eleanor met her eyes. “I am temporary staff tonight.”
Vanessa stepped closer. “Don’t play clever with me. You’ve already done enough damage with your little investigation.”
“I haven’t told anyone anything beyond what the records show.”
“You think you can threaten me?”
“I haven’t threatened you.”
Vanessa’s smile was thin. “You have no idea what you’re interfering with.”
Before Eleanor could answer, a coordinator called Vanessa toward the stage. Vanessa turned away, leaving Eleanor beside the service cart.
The gala began at seven. Guests arrived in tuxedos and evening gowns, greeting one another beneath crystal chandeliers. A string quartet played near the stage. Photographers captured donors beside a large sign announcing the Harbor House renovation campaign.
Vanessa welcomed guests as if she had personally built every brick of the community center. She described the new family rooms, the counseling suite, and the emergency accommodation program. Each time she mentioned the renovation, Eleanor felt the weight of the invoices in her handbag.
At one point, a donor asked when the second floor would open.
“Very soon,” Vanessa replied. “We’ve encountered a few supply delays, but everything is fully funded and progressing beautifully.”
Eleanor stood behind a row of guests holding a tray. She heard the words and felt her stomach tighten.
The renovation was not fully funded in the way Vanessa suggested. Money had been recorded as spent, but the work was not there.
Later, as Eleanor approached the head table, she overheard Vanessa speaking to a man near the stage.
“Northstar has handled everything,” Vanessa said quietly. “The documents are clean. Nobody is going to connect the payments to me.”
The man shifted uncomfortably. “You said the final transfer would be the last one.”
“It is. Just keep your mouth shut.”
Eleanor stopped behind a tall floral arrangement, her heart pounding.
The man turned slightly, and she recognized his face from a photograph attached to a vendor registration. Adrian Cole.
Vanessa spotted Eleanor a moment later.
“What are you doing standing there?” she snapped. “Move.”
Eleanor walked away without responding, but she had heard enough to know the audit needed to move quickly.
At the service station, she quietly texted Robert: I saw Vanessa speaking to Adrian Cole about Northstar. They discussed payments and documents. Please preserve everything and do not confront them without counsel.
His reply came seconds later: Understood. Stay safe. Do not approach either of them.
Eleanor put the phone away.
She had intended to finish the evening without drawing attention. But as she carried a tray past the head table, Vanessa deliberately stepped into her path.
“Watch where you’re going,” Vanessa said loudly.
“I’m sorry. I’ll go around.”
Vanessa glanced at the guests, noticing how many people were watching. Her expression changed. She had found an audience.
“Maybe you should remember that you’re here to serve, not to interfere in matters beyond you.”
Eleanor kept her voice low. “Please let me pass.”
Vanessa’s face twisted with anger. The next movement happened so quickly that Eleanor barely saw it. Vanessa’s pointed heel struck her cheek. The tray flew from her hands, and champagne glasses shattered across the marble.
The ballroom fell silent.
Eleanor looked toward Daniel.
May you like
He told her to leave.
And then Robert Ellis stepped toward the stage with the sealed envelope.
