Victoria: "What do you mean it's not closed? The necklace was in her possession!"
Arthur: "I know what I saw in her bag, Victoria. But something here doesn't make sense."
Victoria: "What doesn't make sense? She wanted quick cash, she took the necklace, and she hid it in her purse before going home!"
Elena: "I haven't even finished my shift, Mrs. Vance! Why would I hide it in an open foyer bag hours before my shift ends?"
Victoria: "Because you're stupid! Thieves aren't known for being smart!"
Arthur: "Elena has been working here for two years, Victoria. She has keys to the family safe, access to the estate trust accounts paperwork, and watches over our silver every weekend. She's never missing a single dime."
Victoria: "People change when they get desperate! You know her family is struggling with medical debt!"
Arthur: "Which is exactly why I offered her an advance on her salary last week, which she politely declined because she wanted to earn it fair and square."
Victoria's eyes flickered for a split second, a tiny crack appearing in her fierce composure before she narrowed her gaze back at her husband.
Victoria: "So you're taking the maid's side over your own wife's word?"
Arthur: "I'm not taking sides. I'm looking for the logic."
Elena: "Mr. Vance, I left my bag right on the lower shelf of the hall bench when I came in at eight this morning."
Arthur: "And who walked past this foyer in the last hour?"
Victoria: "I did! Because I was looking for my missing jewelry! Are you implying something, Arthur?"
Arthur: "I'm not implying anything yet, Victoria."
Arthur turned his profile toward his wife, his eyes narrowing with a sudden, razor-sharp suspicion that cut through the room like ice[cite: 1]. The atmosphere in the high-key hall shifted instantly, the silence becoming heavy and charged[cite: 1].
Arthur: "Wait... Rewind the camera."[cite: 1]
Victoria: "What? The camera?"
Arthur: "The newly installed security system. The high-definition wide lens right above the foyer archway."
Victoria's face visibly stiffened, the intense color draining slightly from her cheeks as she took a small step back.
Victoria: "That camera doesn't work! You said the technician was coming tomorrow to finish the setup!"
Arthur: "The technician came yesterday afternoon while you were out at your charity luncheon. The entire system is fully operational and recording in 4K."
Elena: "The camera... the camera was watching the whole room?"
Arthur: "It records every single angle of this entrance twenty-four hours a day."
Victoria: "Arthur, this is absurd! We don't need to waste time looking at security feeds when the stolen goods are right here!"
Arthur: "If she's guilty, the footage will prove it to the police. And if she isn't... the footage will show us who really put that necklace in her bag."