Arthur lowered his fist slowly, his gaze shifting back and forth between his crying son and his wife's stiff face.
Arthur: Victoria... what did Toby just say?
Victoria: He is completely confused, Arthur! The boy almost drowned! He swallowed pool chemicals!
Arthur: Did you kick his toy truck into the pool?
Victoria: Of course not! How could you even ask me that? I'm his mother!
Maya: You're his stepmother, Mrs. Vance. And you weren't anywhere on this deck when he fell in.
Victoria whipped her head around, her eyes blazing with sudden panic and anger.
Victoria: Shut your mouth! How dare an hourly cleaner speak to me like that in front of my husband?
Maya: Because I was the one who had to dive to the bottom of the deep end to keep him breathing!
Arthur: Maya, stand up. Look at me right now and tell me exactly what happened.
Maya pushed herself up from the wet stone steps, her knees trembling under her heavy soaked pants.
Maya: I was folding linen inside the cabana, Mr. Vance. I heard a splash and then Toby choking.
Arthur: And where was my wife?
Maya: She was standing on the second-story bedroom balcony. She was holding a wine glass and looking straight down.
Victoria: That is an absolute lie! I was right down here by the lounge chairs!
Arthur: Were you, Victoria?
Arthur looked down at his wife's feet. Her designer leather sandals were bone dry on the flagstones.
The hem of her beige silk dress did not have a single drop of pool water on it.
Arthur: You told me you jumped into the water to rescue him from Maya.
Victoria: I... I didn't jump completely in! I leaned over the edge! I tried to reach him with my hands!
Arthur: If you were right beside the edge, why didn't you pull him out before he went under?
Victoria: Because this girl rushed across the grass and blocked me! She was screaming like a maniac!
Maya: I was in the laundry building fifty yards away! When I ran out, Toby was already under the surface!
Victoria: Arthur, call the police right now! Why are you standing here interrogating me in front of the staff?
Arthur: Toby, come here to Daddy.
Arthur knelt down on the wet stone, pulling the shivering boy into his arms and wrapping his suit jacket around him.
Arthur: Tell me what happened, Toby. Did Maya push you?
Toby: No, Daddy. Maya had her shoes on when she jumped in deep. She swam down and held me up.
Arthur: And what about Victoria?
Toby: I told Mommy I couldn't reach my red truck. She told me I had to get it myself, or she would throw it in the trash.
Victoria's hand flew up to her throat, her designer diamond bracelet catching the afternoon sun.
Victoria: He is four years old, Arthur! Children say nonsensical things when they go into shock!
Arthur: Toby doesn't lie to me. Never has.
Victoria: So you're choosing to believe a toddler and a girl who cleans our bathrooms over your lawful wife?
Maya: Check the optical camera on the roofline, Mr. Vance.
Victoria went rigid, her jaw locking as she glanced toward the dark eaves of the mansion.
Victoria: That camera has been dead since the storm blew the breaker panel last week, Maya. Don't play games.
Arthur: Actually, Victoria... the security company rewired that entire corner yesterday morning.
Victoria took a step back, her heel catching on a stone seam.
Victoria: Even if they did, the network has been glitching all day!
Arthur: We'll find out right now. Marcus! Are you at the console?
The garden intercom crackled instantly, the deep voice of the security chief echoing across the patio.
Marcus: Yes, Mr. Vance. I have all outdoor camera feeds loaded and buffered.
Arthur: Lock the front gates immediately. Nobody leaves this estate until I see the playback.