Chapter 4 - THE MAN WHO CONTROLLED MY HOUSE
Victor Crane had worked for my family for twenty-two years.
He had been my father's security chief before he became mine.
He knew my passwords, my routines, my business associates, and the locations of my private residences.
I had trusted him with nearly everything.
Now I was beginning to understand how dangerous that had been.
By the time Grace's ambulance left for the hospital, Victor had disappeared.
His phone was switched off.
His assigned vehicle was missing.
And someone had accessed the estate's security system shortly before I arrived home.
Luca recovered the entry logs.
"Someone deleted forty-three minutes of footage."
"Which cameras?"
"The service corridor, infirmary entrance, and third-floor hallway."
I stared at him.
"Victor?"
"The deletion was made using his credentials."
That was enough to treat him as a serious suspect, though Luca was careful not to pretend we knew everything yet.
I called the police and provided the information we had.
Then I asked Luca to examine the household's employment records.
I wanted to know why Mia believed her family could become homeless if Grace missed one shift.
The answer made me sick.
Grace's wages had been reduced repeatedly over the previous six months.
Some deductions were labeled housing contributions.
Others were described as repayment of employee advances.
She was also listed as owing several thousand dollars in accumulated staff-housing charges.
I stared at the report.
"Who authorized this?"
Luca examined the approval field.
"Margaret Finch, the estate manager."
Margaret had supervised my domestic staff for twelve years.
She had always assured me that Grace was among my best-paid employees.
"Get Margaret."
Luca looked uncomfortable.
"She left the property earlier this evening."
"Find out where."
I turned another page.
The staff cottage occupied by Grace and her daughters was listed for reassignment the following Monday.
Her employment file contained a notice warning that failure to complete assigned duties could result in termination and loss of staff accommodation, subject to the applicable housing procedures.
That explained Mia's desperation.
She had heard adults discussing the possibility of losing their home.
In her six-year-old mind, finishing her mother's cleaning was the only way to prevent it.
I had lived in a mansion with eighteen bedrooms while a little girl was terrified of sleeping outside.
And it had happened beneath my roof.
When I returned to the sitting room, Mia was awake.
Sophie slept safely in a crib brought upstairs from the nursery.
Mia sat beside it, clutching her little sister's blanket.
"Is Mama going to be okay?"
"She's at the hospital. The doctors are taking care of her."
Mia nodded.
Then she whispered:
"Did I finish enough?"
My chest tightened.
"Enough of what?"
"The office."
I sat beside her.
"Mia, you never needed to clean my office."
Her eyes filled.
"But Mr. Crane said Mama couldn't keep making mistakes."
"What mistakes?"
Mia looked confused.
"She was asking questions."
I stopped moving.
"About what?"
"About Daddy."
Daniel Harper.
Her father.
The man whose death Grace had just told me wasn't an accident.
Mia lowered her voice.
"Mr. Crane said people who keep asking questions sometimes don't get to come home."
I stared at her.
He had said that to a child.
I forced myself to remain calm.
"You don't need to worry about Mr. Crane anymore."
She studied me.
"Promise?"
I wanted to promise her everything.
That her mother would recover.
That nobody would hurt her family.
That the world would finally become safe.
But she had already heard enough promises from adults who didn't keep them.
So I answered carefully.
"I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure you're safe, and I'll tell you the truth about what's happening."
She considered that.
Then nodded.
A few minutes later, Luca entered with another security report.
He had recovered footage from an exterior camera that Victor apparently hadn't known was operating.
At 12:43 a.m., Victor entered the estate through the western service gate.
He wasn't alone.
A second man stepped out of the vehicle.
Tall.
Silver-haired.
Wearing an expensive overcoat.
I recognized him immediately.
Graham Vale.
My father's former business partner and the man who still oversaw the Carter family's most complicated financial affairs.
The footage showed Graham carrying a leather document case toward the mansion.
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Less than an hour later, a woman was crying behind my bookcase.
And Graham Vale had left the estate carrying the same document case.
