Chapter 6 - Patricia Had Chosen the Dress
The red wine spill bothered Nathan.
Not because spilling wine was suspicious.
Because Vanessa had worn a silver silk dress to a party centered around red wine.
Patricia had bought it for her.
That came from Vanessa’s stylist.
“Mrs. Carter sent three options.”
The stylist remembered Patricia saying:
“Use the silver. Red photographs beautifully on it.”
Maybe coincidence.
Then Tasha remembered another detail.
Before dinner, Patricia moved the red wine from one side of the ballroom to the station nearest me.
Again:
Maybe nothing.
Then a guest produced a video.
Patricia whispering to Vanessa ten minutes before the spill.
No clear audio.
But Vanessa looked toward me.
Then nodded.
Nathan said:
“Still not proof.”
“Of what?”
“A staged spill.”
I hated how careful everybody was.
I also knew they were right.
Truth built slowly.
Then Michael obtained through lawful channels a copy of the mansion’s security-service incident report.
Ballroom cameras had not failed.
They had been manually disabled from Robert’s home-control panel.
User profile:
PCARTER_ADMIN.
Patricia.
May you like
The cameras went dark fifty-four minutes before I was restrained.
The party looked different after that.
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