Chapter 7
Celeste’s former assistant, Nora Bell, returned to New York after Helen contacted her.
She had retired a year earlier.
Rocco remembered her as quiet and meticulous.
Nora remembered everything.
“Celeste never wanted Victoria pushed out.”
Victoria, sitting across the room, laughed bitterly.
“I saw the memo.”
Nora looked confused.
“What memo?”
Rocco showed her the photograph.
She read it.
Then shook her head.
“She didn't write this.”
Victoria’s face hardened.
“You can't know that.”
“I drafted almost every internal memo she sent during that year.”
Nora pointed toward the wording.
“She never called educational or donor work ‘events.’ She called it programming.”
Then she pointed toward the initials.
“And Celeste stopped initialing drafts like this years earlier.”
Victoria looked at Rocco.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared.
Nora remembered something else.
Celeste had been preparing a new leadership structure before becoming seriously ill.
She wanted the museum less dependent on any single Ventresca.
“She wanted a professional executive director.”
Preston smiled from the end of the table.
“There. Victoria wasn't getting it.”
Nora looked at him.
“No.”
She turned toward Victoria.
“Celeste wanted you to chair community and education programs.”
Victoria froze.
“What?”
“She thought you were good with families and donors.”
Victoria stared at Nora.
“No.”
“Very good, actually.”
“No.”
Her voice became sharper.
“She didn't trust me.”
Nora shook her head.
“She didn't trust Preston.”
The room went silent.
Preston leaned back.
“This is ridiculous.”
Nora continued.
“Celeste was worried you were turning every program into a private business opportunity.”
Rocco watched Preston.
There was no surprise.
Only irritation.
That mattered.
Victoria looked between them.
“Why didn't Celeste tell me?”
Nora answered quietly.
“She planned to.”
Then became too sick.
Victoria stood.
Preston reached for her.
She moved away.
The photographed memo had shaped years of resentment.
Now the first person who had actually worked beside Celeste was saying its meaning was completely backward.
May you like
But memory was not enough.
Rocco needed the original records.
