The envelope held a note from Judge Vale's wife, Margaret, written two months before she died.
Claire,
I want you to keep the original letter with the Harbor House files. Lucas believes the foundation can renew its promise each year, but I would rather leave something in writing that no future board can pretend it never saw. If the foundation can no longer support the building, the board should speak to the people who live and work there before making any decision. They should not hear it from a broker.
I read it twice.
It was not a binding gift. Margaret had said as much. But it was a direct instruction to preserve the letter, and it confirmed that the foundation had known about the promise even if the current board wanted to treat it as a courtesy.
The letter had been misfiled for y
