The Footage Victoria Could Not Explain
“You knew?” Emma asked.
Marlene folded the torn glove and placed it beside the sewing kit.
“Knew what?”
“That something was wrong.”
The ballroom doors muffled another burst of voices. Someone had begun arguing with security. A chair scraped hard enough to be heard through the wall.
Marlene looked toward the sound.
“I knew Ms. Hayes changed the seating chart three times.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“No.”
“She asked which glass belonged to Daniel.”
Marlene’s eyes returned to Emma.
“When?”
“Before the first course.”
“What exactly did she say?”
“She asked whether the numbered tabs stayed under the goblets after service.”
“And what did you tell her?”
“That they did.”
Marlene closed the sewing kit.
“You should have told me.”
“I thought she was checking the place setting.”
“You didn’t think that.”
Emma looked down at the red mark around her wrist.
“No.”
“What did you think?”
“That she wanted to know which drink was his.”
“And you said nothing.”
The judgment in Marlene’s voice was quiet, which made it harder to resist.
Emma rubbed her thumb against the edge of the counter. “I didn’t have proof.”
“You had concern.”
“I have concerns about guests every night. They touch the place cards. They move glasses. They ask where people are sitting because they want to be photographed beside them.”
“Victoria Hayes is not every guest.”
“That makes accusing her easier?”
“No. It makes caution more important.”
Emma looked toward the pantry monitor.
The security footage was still visible, frozen on an empty section of corridor. A time stamp glowed in one corner.
“Would you have believed me?”
Marlene did not answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
Emma gave a small nod. “Right.”
“I might have moved the tray.”
“You might have told me to stay in my position.”
“I might have done both.”
Marlene’s honesty took some of the satisfaction out of Emma’s anger.
She picked up the torn glove. “Am I fired?”
“Not yet.”
“That sounds temporary.”
“It is accurate.”
Emma almost laughed, but her stomach was too tight.
Marlene opened a drawer and handed her a clean pair of gloves.
“Put those on.”
“Why?”
“Because there are still guests in the ballroom, and if security releases us, the dinner service will continue.”
Emma stared at her.
“The glass may have been tampered with.”
“Yes.”
“A woman may have tried to poison Daniel Brooks.”
“We do not know what was in the glass.”
“And you’re thinking about dessert?”
“I am thinking about one hundred and fourteen guests, thirty-two staff members, an active security investigation, food under heat lamps, and a kitchen crew waiting for instruction.”
Emma looked at the clean gloves.
Marlene’s mouth tightened.
“Normal tasks do not become meaningless because something terrible happens beside them.”
“No. They just become strange.”
“Most work is strange.”
A security officer entered the corridor.
“Nolan wants both of you in the west library.”
Marlene nodded.
Emma did not move. “Why?”
“He is taking statements.”
“Is Victoria there?”
“No.”
That helped less than she expected.
They followed him through a staff passage that avoided the ballroom. The estate was larger behind the public rooms than Emma had understood. Service elevators, storage closets, floral preparation rooms, and narrow offices ran parallel to the polished spaces guests saw.
They entered the west library through a side door.
Daniel stood near the fireplace with Nolan. His jacket remained buttoned, but his bow tie had been loosened. Claire Wexler sat on the edge of a leather chair, one hand around a glass of water she had not touched.
Daniel looked at Emma’s clean gloves.
“You’re returning to service?”
“Marlene told me to be prepared.”
Marlene said, “The kitchen needs direction.”
Daniel nodded once, accepting the explanation.
Nolan placed Emma’s phone on the desk inside a clear protective sleeve.
“We made a verified copy of the video and recorded the device information. I need you to explain how you obtained it.”
Emma described the refrigerator alarm, the empty security pantry, and the monitor replaying recent corridor footage.
“Why was it replaying?” Nolan asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Did you touch the system?”
“No.”
“Was anyone else in the room?”
“Not when I entered.”
“Who had been there?”
“A security attendant named Lucas.”
Nolan’s expression changed slightly.
“Lucas Meyer?”
“I think so.”
“He left the monitor unattended?”
“He said the kitchen reported a broken refrigerator seal. He went to inspect it.”
Marlene frowned. “No refrigerator seal was broken.”
Emma turned toward her.
“The alarm sounded.”
“No. The pastry refrigerator displayed a temperature warning for less than ten seconds. Chef reset it before anyone from security arrived.”
Nolan looked at Marlene. “Who reported it?”
“I assumed the system did.”
“Our system does not contact security for a brief temperature fluctuation.”
The room became quieter.
Daniel said, “Someone called Lucas away.”
Nolan took out his phone.
“Possibly.”
Emma looked at the device on the desk. “Then someone wanted the monitor left alone.”
“Or wanted access to the pantry,” Nolan said.
May you like
“Victoria?”
“We do not make that conclusion yet.”
