Chapter 7 - The Message Sent Before the PartyEvan refused to hand over his phone.
Daniel didn't try to take it.
Instead, he stepped out of the security office and called the investigating officer.
He described the manual camera override, the date and time displayed on the system, and Evan's explanation.
The officer told him the department would seek the relevant recordings and system records through appropriate channels.
Daniel ended the call.
He could hear Vanessa arguing with Eleanor somewhere down the hallway.
Her voice carried through the old house.
"You had no right to tell him!"
Eleanor answered too quietly to understand.
Daniel returned to the library.
Vanessa stood beside the desk, her pink satin dress replaced by cream trousers and a cashmere sweater.
She looked immaculate.
That made him angrier.
His daughter had spent the morning struggling to button her pajamas because her wrist hurt.
Vanessa looked as though yesterday had been a minor inconvenience.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Finding out why the terrace camera was disabled."
Her face changed only slightly.
"What camera?"
"Don't."
She crossed her arms.
"Daniel, I know you're emotional, but accusing staff members isn't going to help Lily."
"Neither is pretending you didn't shove her."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
"I didn't shove her."
Daniel stared.
"You told me yesterday she fell because she was being dramatic."
"That's what happened."
"Lily said otherwise."
"She's seven."
"Yes."
"And children misunderstand physical contact."
Daniel felt his hands curl.
Then he remembered Lily's question.
Are you going to yell?
He relaxed them deliberately.
"You're right about one thing," he said.
Vanessa blinked.
"What's that?"
"Yesterday, I lost my temper."
She smiled faintly.
"I appreciate you admitting it."
"But today, I'm listening."
Her smile disappeared.
"And every time you speak, you give me another reason to believe my daughter."
Eleanor closed her eyes.
Vanessa turned sharply toward her mother.
"Are you going to let him speak to me like this?"
Eleanor didn't answer.
Daniel placed Sarah's eighteenth-birthday photograph on the desk.
Vanessa looked down.
For half a second, recognition flashed across her face.
Then contempt returned.
"Where did you get that?"
"Sarah kept it."
"Of course she did."
"Your mother gave Sarah the necklace."
Vanessa shrugged.
"It was a family heirloom."
"It was Sarah's property."
"That's a matter of interpretation."
"No. The letter is quite clear."
Daniel placed a copy beside the photograph.
Vanessa read it.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Mother was being sentimental."
"You accused a child of theft over an item she inherited from her mother."
Vanessa looked toward Eleanor.
"Tell him why it matters."
Eleanor seemed to shrink into her chair.
Daniel watched her.
"What matters?"
Vanessa's expression shifted.
For the first time, she seemed to realize she had said too much.
"Nothing."
Daniel spoke quietly.
"Then I suppose you won't object to the police reviewing the camera records."
Vanessa gave a short laugh.
"Do whatever you want."
She turned toward the door.
Then stopped.
"And Daniel?"
He waited.
"You're making a serious mistake."
"That's becoming a familiar sentence in this family."
Vanessa left.
An hour later, Evan called Daniel.
His voice sounded strained.
"Mr. Harper, I need to correct something."
Daniel was sitting in his car outside the estate.
"Go ahead."
"Miss Bellamy didn't merely request privacy."
Daniel sat straighter.
"What did she request?"
Evan took a breath.
"She sent me a message yesterday morning asking that the terrace camera be disabled at precisely 2:07."
Daniel looked toward the house.
"Before the party?"
"Yes."
"Why are you telling me now?"
"Because Mrs. Whitmore says I should tell the truth."
"Is that why?"
Silence.
"Evan."
"I've worked here for nineteen years," the manager said. "I thought I was protecting the family."
"Protecting it from what?"
"From losing the property."
Daniel gripped the steering wheel.
"Did you know Vanessa was going to confront Lily?"
"I knew she wanted the necklace removed."
"Did you know she planned to hurt her?"
"No."
Daniel listened carefully.
Evan sounded frightened.
That didn't mean he was innocent.
"Preserve the message," Daniel said. "Don't delete anything. The police may need to review it."
"I understand."
"Is there anything else?"
Another silence.
Then Evan said, "She sent me a second instruction."
"What was it?"
"To make sure a particular document was ready in Mrs. Whitmore's study."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"The agreement?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
May you like
Evan's answer made the entire afternoon take on a different meaning.
"Because Miss Bellamy said that once you lost your temper, you'd finally be ready to negotiate."
Related Stories
