Chapter 2 - The Man Behind the Kitchen Door
Adrien did not sit.
Neither did I.
He stood on the opposite side of the table, holding the photograph between two fingers.
“Start with yesterday.”
I swallowed.
“It was around four-thirty. I was taking linens toward the laundry room.”
“And?”
“I heard a door.”
“Which door?”
“The service door near the west staircase.”
Adrien’s eyes narrowed.
“That corridor is restricted.”
“I know.”
“Did you see his face clearly?”
“Not at first.”
I described the gray coat, the dark hair, the small scar near his left ear.
Adrien stared at me.
Then he placed the photograph on the table.
“That’s Victor Hale.”
The name meant nothing to me.
But Adrien’s expression told me it should.
“Who is he?”
“A former security contractor.”
“Former?”
“Very former.”
He picked up his phone and made one call.
“Check the west corridor cameras from yesterday. Four to five.”
Then he hung up.
I expected him to dismiss me.
Instead, he asked, “Did he see you?”
“I don't think so.”
Adrien’s jaw tightened.
“What did he do?”
“He was standing outside the locked archive room.”
That stopped him.
“The archive?”
I nodded.
“He wasn't trying to open it. He was waiting.”
“For whom?”
“I don't know.”
Adrien walked toward the windows.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then his phone vibrated.
He looked at the screen.
The security footage had been deleted.
Adrien slowly lowered the phone.
May you like
Someone had erased the exact hour I had seen Victor.
And that meant someone inside the house had known the footage would matter.
