Chương 3
Luis sat forward. “Disappeared how?”
“A remote maintenance command.”
“From who?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Maya felt cold despite the warmth of the room.
Everett continued. “The ballroom clip was copied automatically to an incident archive when I marked it. It is secure.”
“Can someone delete that too?”
“Not without leaving a record.”
“That isn’t the same as no.”
“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”
The police arrived first, followed by the Halcyon’s general counsel, Elaine Porter, who wore a navy suit and the expression of a woman already calculating how many people had recorded the incident. She introduced herself to Maya, asked whether she needed medical attention, and then advised her not to discuss the matter with guests or post anything online.
Maya looked at the red marks on her wrist.
“I haven’t posted anything.”
“I’m not suggesting you have.”
“You’re suggesting I shouldn’t.”
Elaine sat across from her. “I am trying to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
“Whose investigation?”
“The police will conduct their own. The hotel is also beginning an internal review.”
Luis shifted beside Maya. “She was attacked by a guest.”
“Ms. Cross is not a guest.”
“That makes it better?”
Elaine’s jaw tightened. “No.”
Maya watched the lawyer smooth one cuff. “Is Vivian an owner?”
“Her husband’s investment group holds a controlling interest in the property.”
“So she’s not my employer.”
“The relationship is complicated.”
“It wasn’t complicated when she grabbed me.”
A police detective named Rowan took Maya’s statement in the salon while another officer photographed the clutch, brooch, and display case. He was a broad man with a tired face and a pen that clicked every time he changed topics. He asked whether Maya had ever been disciplined for theft. He asked whether she had financial problems. He asked whether she and Vivian had argued before.
The questions were ordinary, he explained. Required.
Maya answered them, but each one left something behind.
No, she had never stolen from the hotel.
Yes, she had student loans and helped her mother with rent.
No, she had not argued with Vivian.
No, she had never been alone with the brooch.
Yes, she understood why the police needed to verify facts even when a recording appeared clear.
“No,” she said when he asked if she had any reason to damage the Cross family. “I don’t know them.”
Detective Rowan clicked his pen.
“You’ve worked here six years?”
“Six years and three months.”
“You’re an assistant banquet manager?”
“Hotel assistant. Events division. They changed the title last year.”
“Ever have access to executive offices?”
“Sometimes. We set up meetings.”
“Foundation meetings?”
“Sometimes.”
He looked down at his notes. “The Cross Heritage Foundation?”
Maya’s pulse changed.
She reached for the water and found the glass empty.
“What does that have to do with the brooch?”
“I’m asking about your work.”
“You didn’t ask about any other meetings.”
Rowan studied her. “Ms. Cross told us you entered the foundation office without authorization last Thursday.”
Luis swore under his breath.
Maya placed the empty glass on the table. “I was told to deliver coffee.”
“By whom?”
“Mr. Vale. The hotel controller.”
“And did you?”
“Yes.”
“Did you remove any documents?”
“No.”
“Photograph any?”
Maya did not answer immediately.
The pause seemed to wake every person in the room.
Elaine Porter stopped writing.
Detective Rowan clicked his pen once.
Maya looked at Luis, then at Everett. Neither could help her without knowing the answer.
“I photographed an invoice,” she said.
Elaine leaned forward. “Why?”
“Because it was on the floor, and the amount looked wrong.”
“What amount?”
“Two hundred eighty-six thousand dollars.”
“For what?”
“Ballroom restoration consulting.”
Elaine’s expression remained composed, but color left the skin beneath her makeup.
Maya continued. “The ballroom restoration finished eight months ago. The company on the invoice had the same address as a florist we stopped using two years ago.”
“How would you know that?” Rowan asked.
“I schedule vendors. I knew the address.”
“Where is the photograph?”
“On my phone.”
The phone inside the clutch.
For the first time that evening, Everett looked toward the closed salon doors as if he could see through them.
Elaine said, “This has become a separate matter.”
“No,” Maya replied. “I think it’s the same matter.”
Daniel entered before anyone could answer. His tie had loosened, though the rest of him remained arranged. He told the detective Vivian had been taken to a private suite with counsel present. The auction had been suspended, the ballroom cleared, and the brooch placed in police custody pending confirmation of ownership and consignment terms.
Then he looked at Maya.
“I’m sorry.”
She had expected anger, denial, perhaps a request for patience. The apology unsettled her more.
“Did you know about the invoice?” she asked.
Elaine rose. “Maya, this is not the appropriate—”
Daniel raised a hand.
His eyes stayed on Maya. “What invoice?”
She described it.
He listened without interrupting. The silver watch at his wrist caught the light when he folded his arms.
“Did you tell anyone you photographed it?”
“Mr. Vale saw me pick it up. I told him the vendor looked familiar.”
“What did he say?”
“He said the foundation handled its own expenses.”
“Did Vivian see you?”
“She came into the office while I was still there.”
Daniel looked toward Elaine. “You knew about this?”
“I knew the foundation was reconciling several event expenses.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Elaine closed her folder.
Maya felt the room changing again. The brooch no longer seemed like the center of the night. It was becoming a door someone had slammed on a larger room.
Detective Rowan asked Daniel whether the Cross Heritage Foundation was connected to the hotel.
Daniel answered carefully. The foundation hosted events at the Halcyon, funded hospitality scholarships, and had contributed to the ballroom restoration. Vivian served as board chair. Daniel was not formally involved in daily operations.
“Formally,” Maya repeated.
His eyes moved toward her.
May you like
She regretted the word and did not take it back.
Rowan clicked his pen. “I’ll need access to the foundation office and relevant financial records.”
