Chapter 7 - The Voice Behind Brandon's Call
"Did you recognize the voice?" I asked.
Nora shook her head.
"Male. Older than Brandon, I think. Calm."
"Calm how?"
"Like he was discussing a repair bill."
The description made my skin crawl.
Margaret was cold.
Brandon was explosive.
A third person who could talk about hurting me as though it were administrative work meant the center of this plan might not be either of them.
Nora examined my pupils with the small light from her first-aid kit.
"You need emergency care."
"I know."
"Then why haven't they called anyone?"
"Because they think the evidence is still here."
Her hands stopped.
"Is it?"
I looked at her.
Trust had become expensive in less than an hour.
Nora had worked for my family longer than Brandon had known me, but the camera access log had just tied Caleb Sloan—a man my father trusted—to forged documents and a mysterious export.
Longevity did not equal loyalty.
"I don't know," I said.
She understood the answer for what it was.
"Fair enough."
That reaction made me trust her a fraction more.
I pointed toward the tablet.
"Can you get the security log off that device?"
"Not without a passcode."
"Can you photograph the screen?"
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small older phone.
"Staff phone. No cloud account."
"Good."
I opened the log again while she photographed the entries showing Brandon disabling the courtyard zone and balcony microphone at 2:41.
Then I showed her the remote session by C.S.
Nora's face tightened.
"Caleb Sloan?"
"Maybe."
"He was here last week."
I looked up.
"At the villa?"
"Three times. Always with Mrs. Carter."
"Margaret?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't I know?"
"They came when you were out. I assumed it was family business."
Another small answer opened a larger question.
"Where did they meet?"
"Your father's study."
My throat tightened.
The study had remained mostly unchanged since his death. Brandon rarely entered it because I had made clear that the room was mine.
"Did they take anything?"
Nora hesitated.
"I saw Mr. Sloan leave with a red document box the second time."
"My father's red box?"
"I think so."
That box had held original trust paperwork, property records, and sealed correspondence.
If Caleb had removed it, the forged amendment on my phone might not be a standalone fraud.
It might be replacing something.
"Can you get into the study?"
"The door is locked."
"Brandon changed the code last month."
"I know."
She reached into the first-aid case and lifted a tiny brass key from beneath a roll of gauze.
"But he forgot the old mechanical override still works."
I almost smiled.
Then voices sounded in the hallway.
Brandon.
Margaret.
Nora slipped the key back under the gauze.
The lock turned.
Brandon entered first.
His gaze went immediately to the security tablet in my hand.
Then to Nora's phone.
"What are you doing?"
Nora stepped in front of me.
"Checking her injuries."
He held out his hand.
"Give me your phone."
Nora did not move.
Margaret came in behind him and closed the door.
"Nora," she said quietly, "you've worked for this family a long time, so I'm going to give you one chance not to make a very expensive mistake."
Nora looked at me.
May you like
Then she slowly placed the phone in Brandon's hand.
📖 Discover whether Nora just betrayed Emma—or whether the staff phone Brandon seized contains something he never expected to find in CHAPTER 8. 👇
