Chapter 8: The Woman in the Bridal Suite
Every pair of eyes turned toward the elderly housekeeper.
She stood nervously in the doorway, twisting the ring of master keys in her hands as though she regretted saying anything at all.
Lucas took a careful step toward her.
"My name is Lucas Bennett."
She nodded politely.
"I know who you are, sir."
"You said you saw someone enter the bridal suite."
"Yes."
"When?"
She thought for a moment.
"About an hour before the ceremony."
Victoria frowned.
"That's impossible."
The housekeeper looked apologetic.
"I wish it were."
Daniel crossed his arms.
"Did you recognize the woman?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Had you seen her at the hotel before?"
"Not today."
Lucas asked gently, "Can you describe her?"
The woman closed her eyes for a second, replaying the memory.
"She was about forty, maybe a little older."
"What else?"
"Dark hair."
"Long?"
"No."
"Just below her shoulders."
Lucas waited.
"She wore a cream-colored pantsuit instead of a dress."
Daniel nodded.
"So she wasn't a wedding guest."
"I don't think so."
The housekeeper continued.
"She seemed... nervous."
"Nervous how?"
"She kept looking over her shoulder."
Victoria's expression tightened.
"I never saw anyone."
The housekeeper looked at her.
"You were in the makeup room at the time."
Victoria slowly nodded.
"That's true."
"The bridal suite was empty for several minutes."
Lucas looked toward the hallway.
"So she had access."
"Yes."
Daniel asked, "How did she get in?"
The housekeeper hesitated.
"I unlocked the door."
Everyone stared at her.
"You unlocked it?" Lucas asked.
She looked embarrassed.
"She told me she was the bride's aunt."
Victoria's eyebrows shot up.
"I don't have an aunt who matches that description."
"I didn't know that."
The woman lowered her eyes.
"She knew your full name."
"Victoria Reynolds?"
"Yes."
"She also knew the room number."
Lucas frowned.
"What happened after you opened the door?"
"I went back to cleaning the hallway."
"Did you see her leave?"
"About ten minutes later."
"Was she still carrying the wooden box?"
The housekeeper nodded.
"No."
Lucas exchanged a glance with Daniel.
"So she left it behind."
Victoria whispered, "I never found a wooden box."
The housekeeper looked puzzled.
"I assumed it belonged to you."
Lucas thought for a moment.
"If someone entered the suite..."
"...they could have hidden something."
Daniel nodded.
"Or taken something."
Lucas's mind immediately returned to the mysterious envelope hidden inside Victoria's wedding dress.
Someone had entered the room.
Someone had enough time to place something inside her gown.
Someone who clearly wanted Lucas to find it.
The realization sent a chill through him.
Victoria looked horrified.
"You think someone planted that letter?"
Lucas answered honestly.
"I don't know."
"But it's possible."
For the first time that day, Victoria looked relieved.
Not because she was free of suspicion.
But because someone was finally considering that she might not be the one behind the deception.
Margaret folded her arms thoughtfully.
"We need evidence."
Daniel nodded.
"The hotel must have security cameras."
Lucas looked at the housekeeper.
"Does this hallway have surveillance?"
"It does."
"Can we review the footage?"
"I'm not authorized."
Lucas reached into his pocket and removed his wallet.
He pulled out his business card.
"I'm an attorney."
The housekeeper smiled politely.
"I believe you, sir."
"But only hotel management can approve that."
Before anyone could say another word, the hotel manager hurried down the hallway.
He had clearly heard that something unusual was happening.
"Mr. Bennett?"
Lucas introduced himself.
"I need your help."
The manager looked around at the anxious faces.
"Of course."
Lucas explained what the housekeeper had witnessed.
The manager listened without interrupting.
When Lucas finished, the manager nodded slowly.
"We do have security cameras covering this hallway."
Victoria stepped forward.
"Can we see the footage?"
"I'm afraid there's one problem."
Lucas felt his stomach tighten.
"What problem?"
"The system automatically records over itself every twenty-four hours."
Daniel frowned.
"But this happened today."
"Yes."
"The footage still exists."
Lucas exhaled.
"Then let's watch it."
The manager looked uncomfortable.
"I wish it were that simple."
"Why isn't it?"
He hesitated.
"About forty-five minutes ago..."
"...our security office reported a system malfunction."
Lucas stared at him.
"What kind of malfunction?"
"The hallway cameras stopped recording."
"When?"
The manager checked his tablet.
"According to the log..."
He looked up.
"...they went offline at exactly 11:17 this morning."
Victoria's eyes widened.
"That's when I was getting dressed."
The housekeeper nodded nervously.
"And about the same time I let that woman into your suite."
Silence settled over the group.
Lucas rubbed a hand across his face.
The timing couldn't be a coincidence.
Someone had entered the bridal suite.
The cameras had mysteriously stopped recording.
An anonymous envelope had appeared inside Victoria's wedding dress.
A mysterious box had arrived for Lucas.
And somehow, Emma's necklace had resurfaced after seven years.
Daniel finally broke the silence.
"This wasn't random."
Lucas nodded.
"No."
"This was planned."
At that moment, the manager's phone rang.
He answered quickly.
After listening for only a few seconds, his expression changed completely.
He looked at Lucas.
"Mr. Bennett..."
"Yes?"
"Our head of security just called."
"What did he say?"
The manager swallowed.
"The cameras weren't malfunctioning."
Everyone leaned forward.
"They were..."
He paused.
"...manually disabled."
Lucas's heart skipped a beat.
"Can they tell who did it?"
The manager nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"They've identified the employee keycard that was used to access the security room."
Lucas held his breath.
"Whose keycard was it?"
The manager looked down at the screen before meeting Lucas's eyes.
"It belongs..."
May you like
He hesitated.
"...to someone listed as a member of your wedding party."
