Mark stood up slowly from his comfortable dining chair at the head table.
His dark blue shirt folded tightly as his frame tense completely up.
He stared straight into Victoria's wide eyes across the marble table.
Mark: Lily, take a deep breath and tell me everything right now.
Lily: She dragged me into the back laundry room, Daddy!
Victoria: That is a complete lie! She fell while playing tag!
Lily: No! She took the shiny gold chain and hid it!
Victoria laughed nervously, wringing her hands together above the table surface.
She walked around the dining table toward Mark with a soft smile.
Victoria: Sweetheart, you know how imaginative young kids can get sometimes.
Victoria: She probably misplaced her toy and blamed me for it.
Mark: She is not talking about a toy, Victoria. She mentioned the heirloom.
Victoria: Why would I ever touch your late wife's jewelry items?
Victoria: I have my own money and my own successful corporate career.
Mark knew that Victoria made a decent salary at her corporate office job.
Yet he also knew that credit card statements had arrived recently with high balances.
He had noticed large charges from foreign shopping websites over recent months.
He had not questioned them before, trusting his wife completely without doubt.
Now a dark seed of uncertainty began to plant inside his mind.
Lily: She told me to stay quiet or I would get grounded!
Victoria: Lily, stop telling these wild stories to your father!
Mark: Do not raise your voice at her, Victoria.
Victoria: Mark, you are taking the word of a six-year-old over mine!
Lily: Please believe me, Daddy! I am telling the truth!
Tears poured freely down Lily's cheeks as she hugged her plush bunny.
Mark felt torn between the woman he loved and his precious daughter.
He wanted to believe his home was filled with love and honesty.
However, the absolute terror in his daughter's eyes was real.
Mark: Where is the golden necklace right now, Victoria?
Victoria: How should I know? Check her bedroom drawers yourself!
Lily: No! Check the camera, Daddy!
The room went dead silent as soon as those words were spoken.
Mark turned his eyes toward the corner of the ceiling wall.
A tiny black lens was mounted near the dining room doorway.
He had installed a security system six months ago for home insurance savings.
Victoria stiffened instantly, her breath catching visibly in her throat.
Mark: The indoor security cameras record twenty-four hours a day continuously.
Victoria: Mark, there is no need to create a whole scene over this!
Mark: If nothing happened, the video feed will prove you innocent.
Mark turned on his heel and strode quickly toward the main living space.