Chapter 9 – The Deal That Fell Apart
Gregory Ashford sat in a chair at the far end of the ballroom, his hands cuffed behind his back.
Two uniformed officers stood beside him.
Victoria remained near the staircase, her face pale and her breathing uneven.
Neither of them would look at the other.
Detective Mercer noticed.
He had seen it many times before.
When two people shared a secret, silence often became their greatest enemy.
He looked at Ethan.
"Mr. Harrington, may I use your father's library?"
Ethan nodded.
"Of course."
Mercer turned to the officers.
"Separate them."
Gregory was escorted into the library.
Victoria was taken into the music room across the hall.
They could no longer see or hear one another.
Leah quietly helped Mrs. Harrington into a nearby sitting room, where she could rest while the investigation continued.
Mrs. Harrington squeezed Leah's hand.
"You've already done more for me tonight than anyone else."
Leah smiled gently.
"I'm just glad you're safe."
Twenty Minutes Later
Mercer entered the library.
Gregory sat silently, staring out the window.
The detective placed three evidence bags on the table.
The diamond charm.
The broken safety pin.
The blueprint of the mansion.
"I don't think you removed the brake," Mercer said.
Gregory looked up.
"No?"
"I think you planned everything."
"But someone else carried it out."
Gregory remained silent.
Mercer continued.
"The question is..."
"Are you willing to take all the blame?"
A flicker crossed Gregory's face.
The detective had struck a nerve.
"You know," Mercer said calmly, "Victoria is being questioned in another room."
Gregory didn't answer.
Mercer leaned forward.
"If she tells us you convinced her to do this..."
"...you'll be facing conspiracy, attempted murder, and fraud."
Still silence.
Then Mercer added one final sentence.
"She may already be cooperating."
Gregory's jaw tightened.
Across the hall...
Victoria sat alone.
Another detective placed a bottle of water in front of her.
No accusations.
No raised voices.
Only one statement.
"Gregory is talking."
Victoria's eyes widened.
"He... is?"
The detective simply shrugged.
"We'll know soon enough."
Victoria's confidence began to crumble.
For the first time, she believed Gregory might save himself by sacrificing her.
Back in the library...
Gregory finally spoke.
"It wasn't supposed to happen."
Mercer remained quiet.
"Victoria panicked."
"I told her to leave Eleanor alone."
Mercer didn't react.
Gregory continued.
"I only wanted the announcement delayed."
"So the business deal wouldn't collapse."
Mercer raised an eyebrow.
"What business deal?"
Gregory lowered his head.
"The Harrington merger."
He sighed.
"If Eleanor transferred control to Ethan tonight..."
"He planned to cancel my investment contract."
Ethan, who had quietly entered the library, stared at Gregory.
"What contract?"
Gregory looked at him.
"The overseas real estate fund."
Ethan's expression darkened.
"I canceled that proposal two weeks ago."
Gregory gave a bitter smile.
"I know."
"It would have cost me nearly forty million dollars in commissions."
The room fell silent.
"So you tried to stop my mother from making the announcement?"
Gregory hesitated.
"I wanted Victoria to distract everyone."
"That's all."
Mercer leaned forward.
"But someone removed the safety pin."
Gregory looked away.
"I didn't."
At that exact moment, the second detective entered the library.
He whispered something into Mercer's ear.
Mercer's eyes narrowed.
"What did Victoria say?"
The detective answered quietly.
"She admitted Gregory asked her to delay the announcement..."
"...but she claims removing the safety pin wasn't part of the plan."
Mercer looked from Gregory to Ethan.
Now both suspects were saying the same thing.
Each admitted part of the conspiracy.
Each denied trying to kill Mrs. Harrington.
Which meant...
There was still one unanswered question.
Who removed the safety pin?
Just then, Leah appeared in the doorway.
She had been studying the wheelchair again.
"I think I know."
Everyone turned toward her.
She held something tiny between her fingers.
A nearly invisible fragment of transparent fishing line.
"I found this caught inside the brake assembly."
Mercer stepped closer.
"What does it mean?"
Leah looked at the broken safety pin.
Then at the fishing line.
"The pin wasn't pulled by hand."
"It was pulled from a distance."
The room fell silent.
Leah continued.
"Someone set a trap before the gala even began."
She looked directly at Gregory.
"Which means..."
"The person who removed the safety pin may not have been standing beside the wheelchair at all."
Mercer's expression changed.
The investigation had just taken another unexpected turn.
Someone else...
May you like
Someone they hadn't even suspected...
Could still be inside the mansion.
