Chapter 6: The Mistress Enters
Chapter 6: The Mistress Enters
The identity of the co-conspirator didn't stay hidden for long. By the next afternoon, Marcus had traced the digital
notary stamp on the forged insurance document to a private wealth management firm downtown. The name on the
file sent a cold chill through my veins: Victoria Sterling.
Victoria wasn't just any wealth manager. She was the daughter of one of Margaret’s closest society friends, a
woman of "impeccable breeding" whom Margaret had openly flaunted in front of me at country club events for
years. I remembered the subtle, condescending smirks Victoria used to give me when she thought I wasn't looking,
the way she would comment on my "quaint" working-class background.
I sat in the observation room of Precinct 4 as Marcus brought Victoria in for questioning. She wasn't in
handcuffs—not yet. She sat confidently in a designer silk dress, her diamond earrings catching the harsh
fluorescent lights of the interview room.
"Detective, this is an absurd misunderstanding," Victoria said, her voice smooth and practiced. "I simply
notarized a standard estate package presented to me by my clients, Margaret and Daniel Devon. I have no
knowledge of any personal disputes or medical incidents within their household."
Marcus leaned back, tossing a set of bank statements onto the table. "Then explain why Aurelia Holdings
transferred two hundred thousand dollars into your personal account forty-eight hours before Elena Devon was
poisoned."
Victoria's smile stiffened slightly, but she didn't lose her composure. "That was a retainer for my firm’s
upcoming consulting services. The Devon family was planning to restructure their entire portfolio."
I picked up the microphone connected to Marcus's earpiece from the observation booth. "Ask her about the
medical clinic in Zurich," I whispered into the mic.
Marcus caught my cue flawlessly. "We pulled your travel logs, Ms. Sterling. You flew to Switzerland with
Daniel Devon last month while his wife was away at a legal conference. And according to the prenatal medical
registry we obtained through an international warrant, you are currently four months pregnant with Daniel Devon’s
child."
The elegant mask shattered. Victoria’s hand flew to her stomach, her eyes widening in sheer terror. She looked
around the room as if searching for a way out. The pristine, high-society woman who Margaret wanted to replace
me with was suddenly exposed as a common criminal accomplice.
"That... that has nothing to do with the insurance!" Victoria stammered, her voice rising in pitch. "Daniel told
me he was getting a divorce! He said Elena was abusive and controlling, and that she was trying to steal his
family's inheritance! Margaret promised me that if I helped them secure the trust, we would be taken care of!"
The Evidence in the Room 4
"You helped them plan a murder to clear the way for your child's inheritance," Marcus said coldly, pulling out
a pair of steel handcuffs. "Victoria Sterling, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder."
Watching through the glass, I felt no pity. Margaret wanted a woman with breeding. Instead, she had brought a
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desperate, greedy fraud into her inner circle—and that fraud was about to hand me the keys to their complete
destruction.
