Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN WHO SAW EVERYTHING
The historical society looked like a crime scene when I arrived.
Police officers stood near the entrance.
My supervisor, Margaret Collins, paced beside the front desk.
Two technicians were examining the security system.
And Sarah waited near the stairs with her arms folded tightly across her chest.
The moment she saw me, she hurried forward.
"Are you okay?"
I hugged her.
"For now."
She looked past me at Victor.
Her expression changed.
"Who's that?"
"A complicated situation."
Sarah narrowed her eyes.
"Claraara."
"Later."
She sighed.
"Fine. But I'm getting the entire story."
Margaret approached.
"Thank God you're here."
I frowned.
"What happened?"
"Someone accessed the basement after midnight. They used an employee credential."
My stomach dropped.
"Whose?"
Margaret hesitated.
"Yours."
I stared.
"That's impossible."
"I know."
"My badge is in my apartment."
She looked uncomfortable.
"The system shows your identification number."
Victor stepped forward.
"Have you reported the possibility of credential cloning?"
Margaret nodded.
"The police are investigating."
I looked toward the basement.
"Was anything else taken?"
"Only the Romano collection."
My skin prickled.
Trent.
It had to be.
He had asked about those records for months.
But how had he obtained access?
Then I remembered something.
Three weeks earlier, the night I moved out, Trent had grabbed my purse during an argument.
He'd held it for nearly an hour.
My work badge was inside.
I felt sick.
"He copied my badge."
Sarah looked at me.
"What?"
"Trent."
Her expression hardened immediately.
"I knew that man was trouble."
We went downstairs with the investigating officer.
Cabinet twelve stood open.
The shelves were almost empty.
But one box remained.
A narrow archival container tucked behind the lower drawer.
I recognized it immediately.
The uncataloged donations.
I knelt beside it.
The yellow envelope was gone.
My heart sank.
Then I noticed something beneath the shelf.
A small piece of red wax.
I carefully pointed it out to the officer.
He photographed it.
Victor stood behind me.
His expression had become unreadable.
"Elena," he whispered.
I turned.
"What?"
He shook his head.
"Nothing."
But I knew it wasn't nothing.
The officer continued examining the cabinet.
Then Margaret approached carrying a printout.
"Claraara, there's something strange."
I stood.
"What?"
"The system logged another employee entering after your credentials were used."
"Who?"
Margaret pointed to the name.
SARAH MITCHELL.
My best friend.
The woman standing beside me.
I turned slowly.
Sarah's face drained.
"Claraara..."
I stepped backward.
"What did you do?"
She shook her head.
"It's not what you think."
May you like
But then she reached into her coat pocket.
And removed the yellow envelope.
