Chapter 7: The Perfect Frame
Chapter 7: The Perfect Frame
Rain poured over Chicago before sunrise, turning the windows of the Harrington estate into sheets of gray.
Inside, no one had slept.
Detective Marcus Hale stood in the temporary command center reviewing the growing mountain of evidence. The attempted poisoning. The forged corporate documents. The missing surveillance footage. The mysterious woman in the catering uniform. The serpent-shaped ring. The decades-old fire involving Thomas Ellis.
Every clue seemed connected.
But the connections refused to form a complete picture.
Marcus rubbed his temples.
"Someone is always one step ahead of us."
Before anyone could respond, an FBI agent hurried into the room.
"Detective."
"What is it?"
"The forensic laboratory finished processing the ring."
Marcus looked up.
"And?"
"There were fingerprints."
Anna, sitting quietly in the corner, held her breath.
The agent opened the report.
"Only one clear print was recovered."
Marcus reached for the folder.
His expression changed the moment he read the name.
"No..."
Daniel noticed immediately.
"Whose fingerprint?"
Marcus looked toward Anna.
"Hers."
The room went silent.
Anna stared at him, unable to speak.
"That's impossible."
Marcus didn't answer immediately.
He carefully laid the report on the table.
"The laboratory found your right thumbprint on the serpent ring."
Anna's face turned pale.
"I've never seen that ring before yesterday."
"You admitted finding it in the laundry locker."
"Yes—but I picked it up after I opened the pouch."
Marcus nodded.
"Which explains why your fingerprint is there."
Anna exhaled in relief.
"But..."
The detective continued.
"The laboratory also found your fingerprint underneath an older layer of residue."
She blinked.
"What does that mean?"
"It means your print appears to have been on the ring before yesterday."
Anna slowly shook her head.
"No."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"That's not possible."
Daniel looked from Marcus to Anna.
"I believe her."
Marcus remained calm.
"I'm not accusing anyone."
"But someone clearly wants us to."
Two hours later, the situation grew even worse.
An officer entered carrying another evidence bag.
"We searched Anna Carter's room."
Anna looked confused.
"My room?"
The officer nodded.
"We found this hidden beneath your mattress."
He placed a small black flash drive on the table.
Anna frowned.
"I've never seen that."
Marcus inserted the drive into an isolated forensic laptop.
Several files appeared.
One folder contained scanned copies of Daniel's forged financial documents.
Another held blueprints of the Harrington estate.
Another listed Daniel's daily schedule for the previous six months.
Rebecca Collins looked horrified.
"This information is highly confidential."
Daniel stared at Anna.
She looked as shocked as everyone else.
"I swear I've never opened that drive."
Marcus believed she sounded sincere.
But evidence didn't care about emotions.
"Have you ever let anyone into your room?"
Anna thought carefully.
"No."
Then she paused.
"Except..."
Marcus leaned forward.
"Except who?"
"The cleaning supervisor."
"What for?"
"She said there had been a plumbing inspection while I was working."
"When?"
"Three days before the banquet."
Marcus immediately wrote down the date.
It matched the period when someone had disabled the estate's surveillance system.
By afternoon, news of the investigation reached the media.
Television vans gathered outside the estate.
Reporters crowded behind police barricades.
Within an hour, anonymous leaks began appearing online.
MAID INVESTIGATED IN BILLIONAIRE POISON PLOT
HOUSEKEEPER LINKED TO CORPORATE FRAUD EVIDENCE
INSIDE JOB SUSPECTED
Anna stared at the television in disbelief.
"My life is over."
Daniel switched off the screen.
"No."
"They're lying."
"But everyone believes it."
Marcus quietly agreed.
Whoever leaked the story had done so deliberately.
Public opinion was turning against the only person who had actually saved Daniel's life.
That evening, Rebecca completed a forensic analysis of the flash drive.
She entered Marcus's office carrying fresh reports.
"The files weren't created by Anna."
Marcus looked up.
"How do you know?"
"The timestamps."
She pointed at the metadata.
"Every file was copied onto the drive exactly fourteen minutes before officers searched her room."
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
"So someone planted it."
Rebecca nodded.
"And they made one mistake."
"What?"
"They forgot that deleted system logs can often be recovered."
Marcus smiled for the first time all day.
"Can you trace where the files came from?"
"I already did."
She handed him another report.
The copied files originated from a single computer.
Location:
Executive Administration Office.
Daniel frowned.
"That's inside my company headquarters."
Rebecca nodded.
"The files were transferred remotely."
Marcus looked at the network address.
His expression slowly changed.
"I know this office."
Daniel studied the report.
"So do I."
They looked at each other.
The computer belonged to someone Daniel had trusted for more than twelve years.
His executive assistant.
Lydia Monroe.
Before Marcus could issue an arrest warrant, his phone rang.
The caller was Officer Ramirez.
"We've got a problem."
Marcus answered immediately.
"What happened?"
"Lydia Monroe's apartment."
Marcus stood.
"What about it?"
"We're here now."
"And?"
There was a long pause.
Ramirez's voice became quieter.
"She's gone."
Marcus closed his eyes.
"When did she leave?"
"The neighbors say sometime before dawn."
"What did she take?"
"Everything."
Marcus looked toward Daniel.
"Any signs of struggle?"
"No."
"What did she leave behind?"
Another pause.
"Only one thing."
Marcus gripped the phone tighter.
"What?"
"A handwritten note."
"What does it say?"
Ramirez read it aloud.
You're chasing the wrong servant.
The detective slowly lowered the phone.
Someone had framed Anna with surgical precision.
And now the person who could explain everything had disappeared without a trace.
May you like
Or perhaps...
Someone had made sure she never got the chance to speak.
