Chapter 6 - Vivian Had Used The Ice Chamber As A Threat Before
Ethan found the next piece through the event company.
Three weeks before Caroline disappeared, Vivian hosted a private foundation preview at the same mansion.
Only six people attended.
Caroline was one of them.
The artist had installed a smaller prototype ice display in a service gallery.
Transparent chamber.
Clear outer ice.
Same mechanism.
An assistant remembered Caroline and Vivian arguing near it.
Not the words.
Only tone.
Then the assistant remembered something strange.
After everyone left, Vivian asked the staff to keep the prototype in place overnight.
The next morning, the interior chamber smelled strongly of Caroline’s perfume.
No one thought anything of it.
Why would they?
Now Ethan asked the obvious question.
“Did Caroline ever go inside?”
The assistant hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
Then:
“There was a scarf.”
“What?”
“A woman’s scarf inside the chamber the next morning.”
Color?
Navy blue.
Caroline owned one.
Ethan found it later in a photograph from that same week.
The scarf was missing after the preview.
He had never noticed.
Vivian had apparently forced—or frightened—Caroline into the chamber once before.
Not long.
No injury.
A demonstration.
A warning.
I can isolate you.
I can make you disappear in plain sight.
Lily may have witnessed part of it.
That was probably what she meant by:
Mommy too.
But Caroline was still missing.
May you like
Which meant the warning had escalated.
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