CHAPTER 7: The House Beneath Their Shoes

Calder walked to the empty chair beneath Martin's portrait and placed the leather folder on the table.
The sound was small. The room treated it like thunder.
'Before the scheduled trustee vote,' he said, 'Mrs. Whitcomb asked me to clarify ownership and voting authority.'
Adrian's face hardened. 'My mother is tired. She does not understand what you are implying.'
Eleanor looked up then.
'I understand the deed to the ground beneath your shoes,' she said.
No one breathed loudly after that.
Calder opened the folder. The first page was not new. It was old, yellowed at the edges, and marked with seals that belonged to the original Whitcomb Foundation charter.
'Whitcomb House is not Adrian Whitcomb's residence,' Calder said. 'It is not available for marital transfer, asset pledge, renovation debt, or personal inheritance. It belongs to the foundation, and Mrs. Eleanor Whitcomb remains lifetime chair.'