Eleanor.”
I rushed back to the car.
Inside the handkerchief sat the diamond brooch.
Beneath it was a cashier’s check for three thousand dollars.
The tears came instantly.
“Keep the brooch if you want.”
I nearly laughed.
The thing was worth a fortune.
But I shook my head.
It belonged to her.
We sat together quietly for a while.
Finally she squeezed my hand.
“You gave me peace, Stan.”
I looked at her and smiled.
“No. You gave it to me.”
For the first time, she looked genuinely happy.
Before I left, she assured me she was finally fighting back.
A new lawyer.
New protections.
