The tension inside the quiet mansion grew thicker with every passing second. Arthur stood like a stone statue, holding the small crying girl tightly while watching the house maid panic. Elena looked around the grand hallway wildly, her hands trembling near her white apron.
Elena: Mr. Vance, please! You're letting a child's imagination ruin years of faithful service!
Arthur: Faithful service? You've worked here for two years. Sarah died five years ago. How do you know so much about the accident?
Elena: Everyone read the news reports! The whole city talked about the Vance family tragedy!
Arthur: The news reported that my wife and child both perished in the river crash. The police never found the baby's body due to the heavy current.
Lily: A nice lady pulled me out of the cold water, Daddy. She took me to her house and took care of me.
Arthur: What nice lady, Lily?
Lily: Auntie Clara. She said she couldn't bring me back right away because bad people wanted to take the family money.
Elena gasped loudly as her eyes darted toward the side exit door near the kitchen. Her whole body shook with fear as she tried to back away slowly.
Arthur: Clara... Clara was Sarah's personal assistant. She disappeared the week after the funeral.
Lily: Auntie Clara got real sick last week. She gave me the locket and told me to run to the big house if anything happened to her. She told me to look for the man in the picture.
Elena: Clara was a thief! She stole thousands from the estate accounts before she fled!
Arthur: How do you know Clara, Elena? Her name was never made public in connection with the financial audit.
Elena: I... I heard the senior butler talking about her last year!
Arthur: The senior butler was hired six months ago. Try again.
Arthur walked over to the wall intercom carefully, keeping Lily safe behind his body. He pressed the red button to call the main gate guard immediately.
Arthur: Marcus, bring the private security detail up to the main hall right now. Block all estate gates.
Security Voice: Understood, Mr. Vance. On our way right now.
Elena: You're making a huge mistake, sir! You can't trust a child over me!
Arthur: Look at the back of this locket, Elena. Do you see this small engraving?
He held the shiny piece of gold up high, showing the tiny custom numbers etched into the back of the metal frame.
Arthur: This is the serial number for the master vault key code. Sarah had it custom made by a jeweler in New York. There is only one in existence.
Lily: Daddy, the maid lady visited Auntie Clara's house yesterday. I hid under the bed.
Arthur: What did she do there, Lily?
Lily: She took Auntie Clara's medicine away and yelled at her about a life insurance policy and the estate will.
Elena: She's lying! She's a crazy little brat!
Arthur: Shut your mouth! If you speak to my daughter like that again, I won't wait for the police to handle this.
Suddenly, Elena lunged toward the kitchen island, reaching for the silver teapot in a wild hurry. But before she could touch it, heavy boots echoed down the long hallway. Three armed security officers rushed into the room, pointing their eyes straight at the maid.