Chapter 2 - The Broken Bracelet Holds Evidence
Daniel’s order echoed through the mansion. “Lock the gates. Call the
police. Nobody leaves.” Richard protested, but Daniel pointed out that
the relatives were witnesses, not prisoners. Emily stood behind her
father, shaking, while Vanessa remained silent by the fireplace.
Then Daniel saw something glittering near Richard’s shoe: Emily’s broken
silver bracelet, the birthday gift Daniel had given her years earlier.
One link had snapped, revealing a tiny black device hidden inside. Emily
whispered that she had discovered it three nights earlier. Richard had
told her it belonged to the mansion security system.
Vanessa finally spoke. “No. It doesn’t.”
Richard snapped her name, but she ignored him.
Vanessa admitted she had purchased the device and hidden it in Emily’s
bracelet six months earlier. Emily stared at her in disbelief. Daniel
demanded to know why she had tracked his daughter.
Vanessa looked at Richard. “I wasn’t trying to watch Emily. I was trying
to prove where he went when he thought nobody was watching.”
Police sirens approached the gates. Richard told Vanessa not to say
another word.
That warning frightened her more than Daniel’s anger.
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And when officers entered the mansion, the broken bracelet became the
first piece of evidence in a story much larger than Emily’s marriage.
