Chapter 6 - The Frame
The search of Hannah's former quarters in the servant wing took less than twenty minutes.
Christopher stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, watching the investigators rummage through the modest room. Hannah sat on the small bed, her hands trembling in her lap. Florence had been kept in her room under medical supervision to spare her the distress.
Suddenly, one of the investigators paused near the base of the small writing desk. He reached under the loose floorboard—a typical hiding spot in older wings of the house—and pulled out a velvet pouch.
He untied the gold drawstring. Out spilled a cascade of platinum and deep blue gems that caught the ceiling light. The Duchess Sapphire.
A triumphant smirk touched Julian’s lips. "Well, well. It seems our little angel couldn't resist after all."
Hannah stood up, gasping. "No! That’s impossible! I have never seen that pouch in my life! Uncle Christopher, please, you have to believe me!"
Julian turned to the lead investigator. "Call the police. We’re pressing charges for grand larceny. Let's see how much time Clara’s daughter gets in state prison."
"Wait," Christopher said. His voice was low, dangerously calm.
"Wait for what?" Julian scoffed. "The evidence is right here in her hands! Are you so pathetic that you’ll protect a common thief just because she shares some of your blood?"
Christopher walked over to the desk. He didn't look at the necklace. Instead, he looked at the floorboard, then up at the high corner of the room where a small black dome was nestled into the crown molding.
"Julian," Christopher said quietly. "Do you know what I spent half a million dollars on last month?"
Julian frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"High-resolution thermal and motion-activated security cameras," Christopher said, turning slowly to face his cousin. "Mother had been experiencing mild memory lapses, and the doctors wanted to make sure she wasn't sleepwalking or wandering near the stairs. I had state-of-the-art cameras installed in every hallway, every entrance, and every room in the servant wing three weeks ago."
Julian’s smirk vanished. A bead of sweat formed at his hairline.
"The server room is in the basement," Christopher continued, taking a step toward Julian. "Only my chief of security and I have the encryption keys. Shall we go downstairs right now and pull up the footage from this room over the last forty-eight hours?"
The room went dead silent. The two private investigators exchanged uneasy glances. Julian swallowed hard, his skin taking on a sickly gray hue.
May you like
"I... I'm sure that won't be necessary," Julian stammered, backing away toward the door. "Perhaps someone else placed it here. An overzealous maid... or a misunderstanding."
"You touched the safe, Julian," Christopher said, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "You took the necklace. And you paid someone to slip it in here to destroy my niece."
