Chapter 9 - A Mother's Panic
Margaret stood completely still.
The investigators exchanged confused looks.
Thomas lowered his gaze.
Julian walked toward the hallway.
“Mother.”
Margaret followed him.
“There's no reason for this.”
“I want to see the safe.”
“What has she told you?”
Julian stopped.
“Enough.”
Margaret's face hardened.
“Elena has been poisoning you against me since the day she arrived.”
Elena stayed several steps behind them.
She did not need to argue anymore.
The safe would do it for her.
Margaret reached the office first and stood in front of the door.
“This is private.”
Julian stared at her.
“You accused my wife of stealing a family heirloom.”
“She did.”
“Then open the safe.”
Margaret's composure slipped.
“Julian, think carefully.”
“I am.”
“No, you're reacting.”
He moved past her.
The office door opened.
Julian walked directly to the portrait.
Margaret rushed after him.
“Stop.”
He turned.
“Why?”
Her mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Julian moved the painting.
The steel safe appeared.
Clarke and another investigator entered behind them.
Thomas remained in the hallway.
Julian looked at the keypad.
“Give me the code.”
Margaret folded her arms.
“I don't remember it.”
Elena almost smiled.
Julian looked at her.
Then he entered his father's birthday.
Green.
Margaret's face collapsed.
Julian pulled the door open.
The velvet box sat exactly where Elena had photographed it.
He removed it.
His fingers shook as he lifted the lid.
The diamond necklace glittered beneath the office lights.
Nobody spoke.
Clarke stood abruptly straighter.
“This is the reported stolen property?”
Julian ignored him.
He stared at Margaret.
“Explain.”
Margaret looked from her son to Elena.
“I was protecting it.”
“From whom?”
“Her.”
Elena laughed once.
It was a small, disbelieving sound.
Margaret continued quickly.
“I suspected Elena was planning to take it, so I moved it.”
Julian's expression became colder.
“Before or after you accused her?”
Margaret hesitated.
Julian removed the folders.
“What are these?”
“Personal documents.”
He opened the first one.
His eyes moved across the numbers.
“Three point eight million dollars.”
Margaret reached for the papers.
Julian pulled them away.
“You owe almost four million dollars?”
“It is complicated.”
He opened the insurance correspondence.
Then he saw Elena's name.
Everything inside him seemed to change.
He looked toward his wife.
Elena stood silently near the door.
No triumph.
No satisfaction.
Only exhaustion.
Julian looked back at Margaret.
“You planned to make her confess.”
Margaret shook her head.
“No.”
“You hid the necklace.”
“No.”
“You deleted security footage.”
“That was Thomas.”
Every eye turned toward him.
Thomas immediately stepped backward.
Margaret realized her mistake.
Julian's voice became dangerously quiet.
“You knew about the deleted footage.”
Margaret said nothing.
Clarke closed his notebook.
“I think this situation requires law enforcement.”
Margaret snapped toward him.
“You work for me.”
“Not anymore.”
Elena watched Margaret's world begin collapsing.
But she felt no joy.
Because one truth remained unchanged.
Margaret had created the trap.
May you like
Julian had chosen to believe it.
And Elena was not certain that any discovery could repair what he had allowed to happen.
