Chapter 2 - The Mother Who Knew the Combination
Claire did not confront Mason about the missing envelope.
Daniel had taught her that the person hiding information often revealed more when they believed no one was watching.
Instead, she placed the photograph in a locked drawer at her office and requested a complete security report from Ashcroft House.
The report arrived the following afternoon.
No windows had been opened. No exterior doors had been forced. No staff member had entered the library after midnight.
The library door required a six-digit code.
Only Claire, Mason, and the head housekeeper knew it.
At least, that was what Claire believed.
Then the security manager showed her a log from the night the envelope disappeared.
The code had been entered at 2:13 a.m.
The person who entered had typed the wrong final digit twice before succeeding.
Mason knew the code by memory.
Linda had once watched Claire enter it while standing behind her.
“Can you tell which camera captured the hallway?” Claire asked.
The security manager shifted uncomfortably.
“That camera was disabled at 2:08 a.m.”
“By whom?”
“It was accessed through the internal control panel.”
“Who has access to that?”
“You do.”
Claire stared at him.
“I was asleep.”
He placed a printed record on the desk.
“Your administrator credentials were used.”
Claire examined the timestamp.
Someone had logged into the security system using her account, disabled the hallway camera, entered the library, and restored the camera eleven minutes later.
Nothing else had been reported missing.
Only the envelope.
Claire thanked the manager and instructed him not to discuss the investigation with anyone.
That evening, she joined Mason and Linda for a menu tasting in the grand dining room.
Linda discussed flowers, table linens, and the social importance of seating the governor’s wife near the Vale Meridian directors.
Mason behaved as though nothing had changed.
He touched Claire’s hand often.
He praised her choices.
He asked whether she had slept well.
Claire watched him carefully.
“Someone entered the library two nights ago,” she said.
His hand stopped beside his wineglass.
Linda continued examining the menu.
“Did they take anything?” Mason asked.
“My father’s envelope.”
“What envelope?”
“The one you photographed.”
Linda looked up.
Mason’s expression remained calm.
“Elena told me she saw you.”
“I photographed the desk because I wanted a picture of your father’s compass. I thought I could find a replacement.”
“That would explain a photograph of the compass, not the envelope.”
“It was in the same frame.”
“Where is the photograph?”
“I deleted it.”
“Why?”
“Because you found the whole thing upsetting.”
Linda placed the menu down.
“This is exactly why weddings are stressful. People begin inventing conflicts because they are afraid of change.”
Claire turned to her.
“Did you enter the library?”
Linda gave a small laugh.
“Why would I?”
“You asked Elena about my inheritance.”
“I asked whether marriage affected your estate planning. That is a normal concern.”
“For whom?”
“For your future family.”
Claire looked between them.
Mason’s face had softened into the expression he used when he wanted to appear wounded.
“You think we stole something from you?”
“I think someone did.”
“Then call the police.”
Linda’s response came too quickly.
“Yes,” she said. “Call them. Tell them a mysterious envelope disappeared from a locked room without any evidence that it existed.”
Claire understood the trap.
If she reported it now, she would sound suspicious and emotional. Mason and Linda would deny knowing anything. The disabled camera had been accessed using Claire’s credentials.
They had prepared the room to make her doubt herself.
Claire smiled.
“You’re right. It was probably misplaced.”
Mason relaxed.
Linda returned to the menu.
The conversation moved to desserts.
But beneath the table, Claire activated the recording function on her phone.
From that night forward, she recorded every meeting involving the wedding, the company, or the Reed family.
Most conversations contained nothing useful.
Then, four days later, Mason left his phone charging in the kitchen while he took a call in the garden.
A message appeared on the screen.
MOTHER: Did she mention October 14?
Claire stared at it.
Another message followed.
MOTHER: We need the trust settled before then.
The screen darkened.
Claire did not touch the phone.
She walked upstairs, entered her dressing room, and called Jonah Price, her father’s longtime estate attorney.
Jonah answered on the third ring.
“Claire, I was going to contact you.”
“About October 14?”
Silence.
“How do you know that date?”
“My father left an envelope marked with it. Someone stole it.”
Jonah exhaled slowly.
“Come to my office tomorrow morning. Do not tell Mason.”
“What happens on October 14?”
“I cannot explain by phone.”
“Jonah.”
“Your father created a condition in his trust. Certain documents become available to you on that date.”
“Why?”
“Because October 14 is the second anniversary of his death.”
Claire sat beside the window.
“What documents?”
“Records concerning your company, your inheritance, and the final weeks of Daniel’s life.”
A cold sensation moved through her.
“Did he believe he was in danger?”
Jonah hesitated.
“That is one of the questions he wanted you to ask.”
The door opened behind Claire.
Mason stood there.
She ended the call.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“A wedding supplier.”
“At nearly midnight?”
“They are overseas.”
Mason leaned against the doorframe.
For the first time, Claire saw something calculating in the way he watched her.
“Are you keeping secrets from me?”
She placed the phone on the table.
“Are you?”
He walked toward her.
The familiar warmth returned to his expression, but it no longer reached his eyes.
“I want this marriage to begin honestly.”
“So do I.”
“Then let me help with your accounts.”
“My accountants handle them.”
“I mean personally. Passwords, investments, trust distributions. We should understand everything together.”
“After the wedding.”
Mason smiled.
“Of course.”
He kissed her forehead and left.
A moment later, Claire’s phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
Do not go to Jonah Price’s office tomorrow. They are watching it.
Attached was a photograph taken through the window.
May you like
It showed Claire sitting in the dressing room.
The picture had been taken less than one minute earlier.
