Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH|
Adrian closed the study door.
He did not interrupt me as I described the six months Vanessa had spent reorganizing the household, changing vendors, requesting access to private offices, and demanding that employees follow instructions that contradicted established procedures.
I explained how she had questioned the drivers about Adrian's travel arrangements and asked the kitchen staff which nights he usually dined alone.
I also mentioned the unfamiliar visitors who had begun arriving after midnight.
Adrian's expression grew colder with every detail.
"Why didn't anyone report this?"
"Some did."
He looked up sharply.
"To whom?"
"To Helen. To Victor. To your personal assistant."
"And nobody told me?"
"I don't know what they told you. I only know what happened afterward."
He walked toward the window.
Outside, two security officers were checking the vehicles parked near the service entrance.
"Did Vanessa ever ask you about the port schedules?"
"Not directly."
"What does that mean?"
"She asked which office handled your shipping documents. She asked who prepared your travel folders. She asked whether the staff could access the study when you were away."
Adrian turned.
"What did you tell her?"
"That I didn't know."
"Did you?"
"Yes."
He stared at me.
I met his gaze.
"I've worked here for five years. I know which doors open with which keys, which vendors deliver on which days, and which employees are permitted in each room. That's part of keeping the house running."
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he asked, "How much else do you know?"
"Enough to recognize when something is wrong. Not enough to understand why."
He sat behind his desk.
"From now on, if you notice anything unusual, you tell me directly."
"I will."
"And your hair?"
I frowned.
"What about it?"
"I can arrange for a specialist to restore it."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Adrian leaned back.
"All right."
I had expected him to argue.
Instead, he picked up the telephone and called his security chief.
"Bring Vanessa to the study."
She arrived ten minutes later, dressed in a cream suit, her expression carefully arranged.
"Darling, I was just looking for you."
Adrian pointed to the chair opposite his desk.
"Sit."
She obeyed reluctantly.
He placed the handwritten note in front of her.
"Do you recognize this?"
Vanessa glanced at it.
"No."
"Someone delivered a confidential shipping schedule to this house, and someone changed the departure time without authorization. Both incidents occurred while you were exercising control over the staff."
Her expression hardened.
"Are you accusing me of a crime?"
"I'm asking a question."
"Then ask your security team. Don't interrogate me because a maid has decided to make herself important."
Adrian's voice remained calm.
"Did you enter my private office yesterday?"
"No."
"Did you authorize anyone to enter?"
"No."
"Did you order the staff to gather in the main hall?"
She hesitated.
"I did."
"Why?"
"Because I needed to establish discipline."
"And cutting Nora's hair was part of that discipline?"
Vanessa flushed.
"She was becoming arrogant."
Adrian looked at her for a long moment.
Then he stood.
"Your access to the estate's business offices is suspended until this investigation is complete."
Vanessa rose so quickly that her chair scraped the floor.
"You cannot be serious."
"I am."
"You would humiliate me over a maid?"
"No. I'm responding to a breach of security."
She looked at me with open hatred.
"You have no idea what you've done."
I remained silent.
Adrian gestured toward the door.
"You're free to return to your suite."
Vanessa left without another word.
As soon as the door closed, Adrian turned to Victor.
"Check every access log. Find out who changed the port schedule."
Victor nodded.
Then Adrian looked at me.
"There's something else I need to ask."
"What?"
"Why did you stop doing the extra work?"
I frowned.
"Because it wasn't my responsibility."
"That's not the whole answer."
I considered him.
"Because I wanted to know whether anyone here valued what I did or simply expected me to keep doing it."
He looked away.
The answer had clearly struck a nerve.
Before he could speak, a security officer entered carrying a tablet.
"Sir, we found something."
The screen displayed a photograph of the estate's eastern service entrance.
A man in a delivery uniform was handing a small envelope to one of the drivers.
The timestamp showed 11:43 p.m. the previous night.
Adrian leaned forward.
"Who is that?"
Victor enlarged the image.
The driver was Thomas Reed, an employee who had worked for the estate for nine years.
Adrian's face became expressionless.
"Bring him in."
Thomas arrived twenty minutes later, sweating despite the cool room.
He denied knowing anything about the package.
Then Victor showed him a second image.
This one showed Thomas entering Adrian's private office with a key.
Thomas's shoulders collapsed.
"She told me it was harmless."
"Who?" Adrian asked.
Thomas looked toward the door.
"Miss Whitmore."
Adrian remained silent.
Thomas continued.
"She said she needed copies of your travel records. She promised it was for the wedding arrangements."
"Did you give her the shipping schedule?"
"No, sir. I only unlocked the office. She took the documents herself."
Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
"Who was the envelope for?"
Thomas hesitated.
Then he whispered a name.
"Mr. Whitmore."
Vanessa's father.
Adrian looked at Victor.
"Find him."
The security chief hurried out.
I stood near the desk, feeling the weight of the revelation settle over the room.
Vanessa had not simply been cruel.
She had been using the estate.
May you like
And when Adrian looked at me again, I saw something in his expression that frightened me more than his anger.
He was beginning to suspect that the betrayal reached far beyond his fiancée.
