Chapter 7 - The Investigation Begins
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Later that night, after I had read my daughters three bedtime stories and stayed in their rooms until they finally fell into a peaceful sleep, I walked into my home office and poured myself a stiff glass of scotch.
I sat behind my mahogany desk, staring at the framed photograph of my late wife, Elena.
"I almost ruined everything, El," I whispered to the empty room. "I almost gave our girls to a monster."
The door to my office opened softly, and Hector stepped inside. He stood at attention, his face an unreadable mask of professional detachment.
"The perimeter is secure, Mr. Vance," Hector reported. "Chloe's access codes to the gates and the alarm system have been permanently deleted. The local precinct was notified to ignore her emergency call regarding the housekeeper."
"Thank you, Hector," I said, taking a slow sip of the burning liquid. "But securing the house isn't enough. I need to know why."
Hector frowned slightly. "Sir?"
"Chloe targeted Marisol specifically," I explained, setting my glass down. "She spent the last three weeks dripping poison into my ear, trying to convince me that Marisol was a thief and a manipulator. She wanted the housekeeper gone desperately. I need to know why."
"Abusers usually isolate their victims from anyone who might protect them," Hector reasoned.
"True," I agreed. "But it felt more urgent than that. Chloe claimed things were going missing. Diamond earrings. Cash. Perfume. I want you to go through the bags Chloe packed for her move-in. I want her entire background ripped apart. I want to know every secret she was hiding before I met her."
May you like
Hector nodded firmly. "I will bring in my private investigators. We will scrub her financial records, her past relationships, everything. If there is a skeleton in her closet, I will find it."
"Find it quickly, Hector," I ordered, staring into the dark amber liquid in my glass. "Because a woman who lies that easily is a woman who has a lot to hide."
