Chapter 9 - The Missing Bracelet
After all the boxes were upstairs, I retreated to the living room, pretending to dust the bookshelves. Vanessa stormed in a few minutes later, holding her large leather handbag. Her face was twisted in genuine, terrifying rage.
“Where is it?” she screamed, throwing the bag onto the sofa.
I turned around slowly, keeping my eyes downcast. “Where is what, miss?”
Vanessa closed the distance between us, invading my personal space. I could smell the expensive perfume clinging to her skin, mixed with the metallic scent of her anger.
“My diamond bracelet. I took it off yesterday and put it in the side pocket of this bag. It is gone. And you are the only other person in this house.”
“I swear to you, miss, I have not touched your bag,” I said, retreating a step.
“Liar!” she hissed, pointing a manicured finger in my face. “You people are all the same. You see something shiny that you could never afford in ten lifetimes, and your sticky fingers just can't resist. Empty your pockets right now, or I am calling the police and having you deported.”
“Please, miss, check the bag again,” I pleaded. “Sometimes things fall to the bottom.”
She grabbed the bag and furiously dumped its contents onto the expensive rug. Lipsticks, a wallet, receipts, and a small velvet pouch tumbled out. The pouch opened, and the diamond bracelet spilled onto the carpet, glittering innocently in the sunlight.
She stared at it. There was no apology. No realization of her cruelty.
Instead, she leaned in incredibly close to my face. I could see the absolute venom in her eyes.
May you like
“You got lucky this time,” Vanessa whispered maliciously. “But let’s get one thing straight. People like you should be grateful people like me let you indoors at all.”
The recorder in my pocket captured every single syllable.
