Chapter 2 - THE STOLEN SAFE
Grace stared at Margaret.
“My code?”
“You heard me.”
“That’s impossible.”
Victor’s expression changed immediately.
His anger disappeared.
A thin smile took its place.
“Well,” he said, “looks like feeding bums isn’t your biggest problem today.”
Grace ignored him.
“What’s missing?”
Margaret glanced toward the house.
“We don’t know yet.”
Adrian lowered his head and pretended to eat.
Inside, his pulse had changed.
His private office safe required two forms of access.
A security code.
And a fingerprint.
Only four people knew where it was.
Adrian.
Malcolm.
Estate manager Charles Benton.
And Margaret.
Grace should not even have been able to reach the office without triggering an alert.
Unless someone wanted her blamed.
Margaret pulled Grace toward the house.
“Come on.”
Grace looked back at Adrian.
“You should go before he hurts you again.”
Victor laughed.
Adrian gave a small nod.
“Thank you.”
Grace disappeared inside.
Victor waited until the door closed.
Then he stepped toward Adrian.
“You got your breakfast. Now disappear.”
Adrian studied him.
“You don’t seem worried about the safe.”
Victor’s eyes sharpened.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Adrian turned away.
He walked down the road until the gate vanished behind trees.
Then he stopped.
He took an old prepaid phone from inside his boot.
Only one person knew the number.
Malcolm answered after the first ring.
“This better be you.”
“It is.”
Malcolm exhaled.
“You sound terrible.”
“My disguise works.”
“What happened?”
“Someone opened my safe.”
Silence.
“What?”
“Grace Miller’s code was used.”
“Who’s Grace Miller?”
“The maid who just fed me while Victor threatened to fire her.”
Malcolm paused.
“You think she stole from you?”
“No.”
“That fast?”
Adrian looked back toward his estate.
“She could barely break a house rule without shaking.”
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
“No.”
Adrian’s voice hardened.
“But Victor knew she was being accused before Margaret explained anything.”
Malcolm went silent again.
Adrian continued.
“I want the security logs.”
“I can pull them.”
“Quietly.”
“Adrian, you’re supposed to be testing whether people are decent. You’re not supposed to start an undercover criminal investigation.”
Adrian looked at the mansion.
“Apparently my staff had other plans.”
Twenty minutes later, Malcolm called back.
His voice had lost all humor.
“Adrian.”
“What?”
“Grace’s code accessed your office at 2:14 this morning.”
“I know.”
“That’s not the problem.”
Adrian waited.
Malcolm said, “According to payroll records, Grace was never at the estate last night.”
“Where was she?”
“At Greenwich Memorial Hospital.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Then who used her code?”
Malcolm answered softly.
“Someone who knew you weren’t home.”
May you like
Then he added something worse.
“Your safe wasn’t the only thing they accessed.”
