Chapter 4 - The Search Warrant
Elena opened the door only after reading the warrant through the security chain.
The document appeared legitimate.
It named the pendant, described it in detail, and alleged that it had been taken from Ashford Hall during Sloane’s birthday party.
Margaret stood behind Elena.
“That necklace belongs to me,” she said.
The man in the suit introduced himself as Detective Adrian Cole.
“The complaint was filed by Vanessa Ashford.”
“Vanessa does not own it.”
“She claims the pendant was removed from a locked display cabinet.”
“There is no display cabinet.”
Cole’s expression remained neutral.
“May we come inside?”
“No,” Margaret said.
Elena looked at her.
“They have a warrant.”
“A warrant based on a lie.”
One of the uniformed officers shifted uncomfortably.
Cole lowered the paper.
“Mrs. Ashford, this can be handled quickly. Give us the pendant, and no one needs to be detained tonight.”
Margaret’s eyes narrowed.
“You arrived remarkably fast.”
“I was assigned the complaint.”
“At one in the morning?”
“The Ashfords have security concerns.”
“I am an Ashford.”
Cole said nothing.
Margaret turned to Elena.
“Call Samuel.”
While Elena reached for her phone, Cole placed one hand against the door.
“We are entering.”
Mia appeared behind Margaret.
The bluebird pendant rested visibly against her pajamas.
Cole saw it.
“There it is.”
He stepped forward.
Margaret blocked him with her cane.
“You will not touch that child.”
Cole’s composure slipped.
“Move aside.”
“Show me the judge’s signature.”
He held up the warrant.
Margaret examined it.
Then she smiled.
“This judge retired three months ago.”
Cole’s eyes flickered.
“Emergency authorization.”
“A retired judge cannot issue an emergency warrant.”
The two uniformed officers exchanged glances.
Cole pulled the document back.
“Mrs. Ashford, interfering with a lawful search is a criminal offense.”
“So is presenting a fraudulent warrant.”
Samuel answered Elena’s call.
She put him on speaker.
Margaret described the situation.
Samuel’s voice sharpened immediately.
“Do not admit them. Photograph the warrant. I am contacting the district attorney.”
Cole turned toward the officers.
“Proceed.”
Neither moved.
“Officer Bennett,” he snapped. “Secure the pendant.”
The younger officer looked at the forged signature.
“Sir, we should verify this.”
Cole’s jaw tightened.
The hallway elevator opened.
A woman in a navy coat stepped out, followed by two building security guards.
Elena recognized her from television.
District Attorney Rachel Moreno.
Samuel appeared behind her, breathing hard.
Moreno looked at Cole.
“Step away from the door.”
Cole’s face drained.
“District Attorney.”
“I received a report that you are executing a warrant under Judge Nathan Bell’s authority.”
“Yes.”
“Judge Bell has been in a rehabilitation hospital since May.”
Cole said nothing.
Moreno took the document.
“Where did you get this?”
“Through departmental processing.”
“Which department employee?”
“I will need to check.”
“You will check from an interview room.”
She addressed the uniformed officers.
“Detective Cole is suspended pending investigation. Take his weapon.”
Cole took one step backward.
Then he turned and ran.
He shoved past Samuel, reached the stairwell, and disappeared.
The officers pursued him.
The stairwell door slammed.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Mia began to cry.
Elena lifted her.
Margaret touched the bluebird pendant.
“They knew I gave it to her.”
Samuel looked toward the hallway.
“Someone at the party reported it immediately.”
Vanessa was the obvious answer, but Margaret’s expression suggested a darker possibility.
“Why would Vanessa want the pendant?” Elena asked.
“She may have been told to want it.”
“By whom?”
Margaret looked at Samuel.
He opened his leather case and removed several copied pages.
“After the party, I searched Edward’s archived correspondence. The bluebird symbol appears in references to something called the Aves Covenant.”
Elena stared at him.
“What is that?”
“We do not know.”
Margaret sat down slowly.
Samuel continued.
“The covenant appears connected to the original trust. One letter states that control of the Carter interest can be confirmed only by the two birds and the last witness.”
“What last witness?”
“That is unclear.”
Mia rubbed the pendant between her fingers.
“Does my bird open something?”
Margaret looked at her.
“Yes, sweetheart. We believe it does.”
Mia considered this seriously.
“Then the bad man wanted the key.”
Elena held her tighter.
Moreno stepped into the apartment.
“I need all of you to relocate tonight. Cole may not be working alone.”
Margaret nodded.
“We will go to the Lake House.”
Samuel frowned.
“That property has been closed for years.”
“Which is why no one will expect us there.”
Elena shook her head.
“Mia needs stability, not another Ashford property full of secrets.”
Margaret faced her.
“Your apartment has been compromised.”
“I can take her somewhere else.”
“Where?”
Elena had no answer.
The only close friend she trusted lived in another state. Her mother had died years earlier. The small apartment was the only home Mia knew.
Margaret softened her voice.
“One night. In the morning, you may decide what comes next.”
Elena agreed reluctantly.
They packed quickly.
As Elena collected Mia’s clothes, Margaret and Samuel studied the broken music box.
One painted flower had detached from the base.
Beneath it was a tiny folded piece of paper.
Margaret unfolded it.
The message was written in faded ink.
Edward lied.
Thomas did not die on the road.
Margaret gripped the table.
Elena read the words over her shoulder.
“Who put that inside Mia’s gift?”
Mia stared at the box.
“No one. I built it myself.”
“Where did the wood come from?” Samuel asked.
“The craft shop.”
“Which shop?”
Mia named it.
Margaret closed her eyes.
May you like
The shop had once belonged to Thomas Carter’s closest friend.
A man who disappeared one week after Thomas’s funeral.
