Chapter 6 - Rewinding the Truth
The security room smelled of ozone and hot electronics. Vance typed rapidly on the keyboard, bringing up the footage from camera four.
"Time stamp: 9:14 PM," Vance announced.
On the screen, the black-and-white footage showed the dimly lit service corridor. A few seconds in, the digital version of Mara appeared on the screen, looking exhausted as she walked into the pantry and shut the door behind her.
A moment later, Celeste appeared on the screen.
In the high-definition security footage, there was no mistaking her identity, nor the malicious intent on her face. She looked around to ensure the hallway was empty, then slipped into the staff locker room.
"Fast forward," Julian ordered.
Vance scrubbed the video forward. Two minutes later, Celeste emerged from the locker room. The footage was crystal clear. As she walked back out into the corridor, she stopped under the camera to adjust her dress. For a split second, she looked down at her wrist. It was bare.
Julian paused the video. He turned his chair around to face Celeste.
"You framed her," Julian said, his voice devoid of any emotion, which made it all the more terrifying. "You planted your own engagement gift in a maid's bag to have her arrested."
"Julian, you have to understand!" Celeste cried, the tears flowing freely now, though they held no power over him anymore. "She is obsessed with me! She's a stalker! We used to work together years ago, and she was always insanely jealous of my success. When she found out I was marrying you, she got a job here to sabotage us. I had to get rid of her to protect us!"
Julian looked at Mara, who was standing quietly in the corner, her arms wrapped around herself.
"Is this true, Mara?" Julian asked. "Did you follow her here?"
"No," Mara said quietly, her voice steady despite the tears in her eyes. "I didn't even know she was your fiancée until I saw the guest list this morning. I work for the staffing agency. They assigned me here. I just needed the money to pay for my sister's college tuition."
"She’s a liar!" Celeste screamed.
"Enough," Julian snapped. He turned back to the monitors. "Vance, play the footage from the dining room earlier tonight. The moment Mara dropped the scarf."
"Julian, why does that matter?" Celeste pleaded, real panic setting in. "We caught the thief—"
"Play it," Julian commanded.
The screen shifted to the dining room. The camera angle was from the corner of the ceiling, looking down at the table. The footage showed Mara reaching up and untying the silk scarf. As she did, the fabric caught on something around her neck, pulling it out from beneath her high-collared uniform for just a second before it fell back into place.
Julian leaned forward, his face inches from the screen. "Stop. Zoom in on her chest."
Vance enhanced the image. Pixel by pixel, the silver object around Mara’s neck came into focus.
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It was a silver locket. But not just any locket. It was uniquely shaped—a crescent moon intertwined with a sprawling oak tree, custom-engraved, tarnished with age.
Julian stopped breathing.
