Chapter 13 - The Voice of the ChildBy midnight, Detective Vance had finished questioning the catering crew. The waiter who delivered the juice confessed that a masked man had slipped him five thousand dollars in the alley behind the kitchen to place the special additive in the young heiress's glass.
In the master library, Arthur sat exhausted in a leather armchair, holding a warm cup of tea. Detective Vance stood before him, shaking his head gently.
"Mr. Montgomery, we have clear proof of attempted poisoning," Vance said carefully. "But without a direct paper trail or a physical link connecting the toxin to a specific family member, I cannot make an arrest. The waiter never saw the accomplice's face."
Julian stepped into the room, wearing a expression of solemn sympathy. "It's tragic, Detective. Someone from the outside must be trying to frame our family to create a corporate panic. Uncle Arthur, you should rest. I’ll personally oversee security for Lily tonight."
"No," a small, clear voice rang out from the doorway.
Everyone turned. Lily stood in the doorway, dressed in her white velvet dress, her silver heart necklace hanging firmly against her chest. She wasn't trembling, nor was she hiding behind her grandfather.
She walked straight up to Detective Vance, her eyes locked on Julian.
"Cousin Julian has a dark box in his office computer," Lily said, her voice steady and echoing through the quiet library. "He talked about Zurich, and the poison paper, and payment logs on a hard drive."
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Julian’s face drained of every ounce of color. "She's... she's traumatized! She's making things up! She's a seven-year-old child who spent her life on the street!"
"I remember everything my mommy told me," Lily said, looking directly into Julian's panicking eyes. "Mommy said the bad people keep their lies in written books because they are afraid of forgetting. Search his office, Mr. Police Officer."
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