Chapter 10: The Missing Witness

The words hit the room like a gunshot.

"The housekeeper disappeared?" I asked, unable to hide my shock.

Lucas nodded grimly.

"Her apartment was completely empty. According to the landlord, she moved out before dawn."

"Without telling anyone?"

"She even left her last paycheck behind."

Vincent's expression hardened.

"That's not someone changing jobs. That's someone running."

I folded my arms.

"Or someone being forced to run."

The room fell silent.

Everyone was thinking the same thing.

If the housekeeper had seen who entered my room, she had become a liability.

"What's her name?" I asked.

"Grace Miller," Lucas replied.

"How long had she worked for the Romano family?"

"Almost nine years."

"Nine years..." I whispered.

"People don't abandon stable jobs overnight unless they're terrified."

Vincent immediately picked up his phone.

"Call every contact we have at the airports, train stations, and bus terminals. I want to know if Grace Miller has left New York."

"Already working on it," Lucas answered.

I watched Vincent issue orders with the same calm authority that had once impressed me.

He hadn't stopped looking for the truth.

But that didn't erase the pain he had caused.

"Sophia," he said after ending the call.

"Will you help us?"

"Help you?"

"Whoever framed you knows the Romano estate better than anyone. They might make another move."

I looked at him for several seconds.

"Fine."

"But I'm not doing this for you."

"I know."

"I'm doing it for my mother."

An hour later, the three of us drove back to the Romano estate.

The mansion looked exactly the same as always.

Elegant.

Peaceful.

Beautiful.

Only I knew how many secrets its walls were hiding.

As soon as we entered, Maria greeted us with a flawless smile.

"Sophia, you've come home."

"I'm only here for answers."

"Answers to what?"

"You tell me."

Her smile faltered for the briefest moment.

It was almost impossible to notice.

Almost.

"Vincent," she said, changing the subject.

"Would you like coffee?"

"Later."

"We're investigating yesterday's incident."

Maria laughed lightly.

"Surely that's unnecessary. It was just an unfortunate misunderstanding."

"Someone planted evidence," Vincent replied coldly.

"That's hardly a misunderstanding."

For the first time, Maria looked genuinely uncomfortable.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

She excused herself moments later.

I watched her disappear upstairs.

"She looked nervous," I whispered.

"I noticed," Lucas replied.

"Follow her," Vincent ordered.

"Quietly."

Lucas nodded before slipping away.

Meanwhile, Vincent and I headed toward the servants' quarters.

Grace's room had already been sealed.

The small bedroom was spotless.

Almost too spotless.

"Someone cleaned this," I said.

Vincent frowned.

"The police haven't even been here yet."

"Exactly."

I walked toward the wardrobe.

Every hanger was empty.

No clothes.

No photographs.

No personal belongings.

"She didn't pack this carefully in one night," I murmured.

"Someone helped her."

Vincent knelt beside the bed.

"Sophia."

"What?"

He pulled out a tiny silver key hidden beneath a loose floorboard.

"This wasn't here by accident."

"A locker key?"

"Looks like it."

There was a small number engraved on it.

218.

"Do you know where it belongs?" I asked.

"Not yet."

"We'll find out."

Just then, Lucas hurried into the room.

"Vincent."

"What happened?"

"Maria just made a phone call."

"To whom?"

"I couldn't hear the entire conversation."

"But she said one sentence very clearly."

"What was it?"

"She said, 'Make sure she never comes back.'"

A cold silence filled the room.

"Who was she talking about?" I whispered.

"I don't know."

"Grace?"

"Possibly."

"Or someone else entirely."

Vincent looked toward the window.

"We're running out of time."

Later that afternoon, the three of us drove to Grand Central Station.

The locker number on the key matched one of the station's rental lockers.

"Locker 218," the attendant confirmed.

"It's still active."

Vincent unlocked it carefully.

Inside sat a worn leather handbag.

Nothing else.

I slowly opened it.

There was a notebook.

A flash drive.

And an envelope addressed in shaky handwriting.

To Miss Sophia Romano.

My hands trembled as I opened the letter.

Grace's handwriting covered both pages.

Miss Sophia,

If you're reading this, something has probably happened to me.

I wanted to tell the truth sooner, but I was afraid.

The night before the charity dinner, I saw someone enter your room.

I recognized that person immediately.

But they threatened my daughter.

They said if I spoke, she would disappear.

I've lived with that fear every day since.

Please forgive me.

The person who planted the bracelet wasn't acting alone.

There were two of them.

One distracted the staff.

The other entered your room.

I never saw the second person's face.

But I know the first one.

The name is saved on the flash drive.

Don't trust anyone until you've seen it yourself.

Grace.

I looked up slowly.

"There's a flash drive," I whispered.

"We need a computer."

Lucas immediately connected it to his laptop.

A single video file appeared on the screen.

"Play it," Vincent said.

The footage began.

It was recorded from a hidden camera inside the servants' hallway.

The timestamp matched the afternoon before the charity dinner.

A woman appeared on screen.

She was wearing sunglasses and a scarf that covered most of her face.

She handed an envelope of cash to Grace.

Then she leaned closer and whispered something.

Grace's face turned pale.

The woman removed her sunglasses for just one second.

I gasped.

"No..."

Vincent froze beside me.

Lucas stared at the screen in disbelief.

Because the woman threatening Grace wasn't Maria.

It wasn't Isabella either.

It was someone none of us had expected.

Someone who had been standing beside the Romano family for over twenty years.

Don Romano's personal secretary.