Mark helped Hannah walk slowly down the dark stairs.
The basement was dusty and filled with old furniture.
They walked past old family boxes to the back wall.
Mark pulled away a heavy wooden wine cabinet slowly.
Behind the cabinet was a small gray steel safe.
He typed a four-digit security code into the panel.
The small steel door opened with a soft click.
Inside the safe sat three small black external drives.
Mark: Your father asked me to build a secondary system.
Hannah: A secondary recording system for the whole mansion?
Mark: Yes, he never completely trusted Margarethe either.
Hannah felt a strong sudden wave of emotional relief.
These tiny hard drives held the truth of everything.
They contained years of video from every single hallway.
Mark: Every angle is stored on these portable drives.
Hannah: Even the push near the grand staircase today?
Mark: Yes, every second is saved in high definition.
Hannah hugged the elderly butler with tears in her eyes.
Hannah: You saved my life and my father's memory.
Mark: We must take this evidence to the police immediately.
They heard loud car tires screeching outside on the driveway.
Margarethe had returned home earlier than they expected.
Her heavy heels clicked loudly across the ceiling above.
Margarethe: Mark! Where did you take that foolish girl?
Mark hid the small hard drives inside his coat.
Mark: Stay behind me while we go upstairs, Hannah.
They walked back up into the grand central foyer.
Margarethe was standing near the door with two lawyers.
Margarethe: Hand over your house keys right now, Hannah.
Hannah: I am not giving you anything anymore.
Margarethe: You have no legal rights to this residence!
Mark: That is where you are wrong, Mrs. Vance.
Margarethe glared at the butler with extreme anger.
Margarethe: You are fired as of this very second, Mark!
Mark: You cannot fire me after what you did today.
Margarethe: I can do whatever I want in my home!
Mark pulled out his cell phone and pressed call.
Mark: Texas police are on their way right now.