Chapter 6 - Twelve Minutes Missing.
Adrian looked from Margaret to Claire.
Neither woman moved.
Nolan stepped in front of Adrian.
"Mrs. Davenport, put your hands where I can see them."
Margaret slowly lifted both hands.
She carried no visible weapon.
That did not make Claire relax.
"You helped them into the house," Adrian said.
Margaret's expression softened in a way that almost looked sincere.
"I helped people retrieve something your father stole."
"Victor's people?"
Margaret's eyes flicked toward Claire.
"Victor protects what your family would have destroyed."
Claire gave a short, humorless breath.
"That sounds rehearsed."
Margaret smiled.
"So does your name."
Adrian held up Evelyn's note.
"Why did she tell me to believe Claire?"
Margaret's face changed for the first time.
"Because Evelyn was desperate."
"Desperate about what?"
Margaret stepped closer.
Nolan raised his sidearm.
"Stay there."
Margaret stopped.
"Evelyn believed Victor was using Northstar to control the board."
Claire cut in.
"Was she wrong?"
Margaret did not answer.
That silence was enough.
Adrian felt another part of his old life crack.
"You knew."
Margaret lowered her eyes.
"I knew enough to be afraid."
Claire watched her closely.
"Then why help him tonight?"
Margaret looked directly at Adrian.
"Because fear changes what loyalty means."
A faint vibration came from Nolan's pocket.
He had turned his phone off earlier.
He pulled it out anyway.
The screen remained black.
The vibration came again.
Claire stepped toward him.
"That is not your phone."
Nolan froze.
Claire pointed to the inside lining of his jacket.
A small tracking device had been sewn beneath the fabric.
Nolan's face drained.
"I did not put that there."
Margaret's eyes widened.
Claire grabbed the edge of Nolan's sleeve and tore the loose seam farther open.
The tiny device dropped into her palm.
Margaret suddenly moved toward the door.
Claire blocked her path.
"Who planted this?"
Margaret looked genuinely confused.
"Not me."
Nolan laughed bitterly.
"Convenient."
Claire examined the device, then looked at his damaged cuff.
"When did you change jackets?"
Nolan frowned.
"This afternoon."
"Where was the other one?"
"Security office."
Claire turned to Adrian.
"Someone expected Nolan to stay close to you tonight."
Adrian's eyes moved to Margaret.
She shook her head.
"Victor does not trust Nolan."
"Then who does?" Adrian asked.
Margaret hesitated.
Claire saw it.
"Say the name."
Margaret looked toward the hallway.
"Your head of technology, Simon Cross."
Adrian almost laughed.
Simon had built the mansion's modern security network after Evelyn's death.
He had also been the man who told Adrian that Evelyn's access-log concerns were meaningless.
Claire turned to Nolan.
"How much camera footage disappeared tonight?"
Nolan thought for a second.
"The system went offline just before the first breach."
"For how long?"
Nolan opened a small local monitor on his watch and checked the cached logs.
His expression changed.
"Twelve minutes."
Claire went still.
Adrian noticed.
"What?"
Claire looked toward the ceiling cameras.
"Evelyn's accident report had a twelve-minute gap in the traffic-camera archive."
Margaret whispered something under her breath.
Claire stepped closer.
"What did you say?"
Margaret met her eyes.
"Simon was on duty that night too."
Before anyone could respond, every light in the library turned on at once.
A man's voice came through the hidden speakers.
"Good evening, Claire."
Adrian recognized Simon Cross immediately.
May you like
The voice continued with calm amusement.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice the missing twelve minutes."
