Chapter 4 - The Spider’s Web
By six o'clock the following morning, the estate was bathed in a thick, milky fog that rolled in from Long Island Sound.
I stood in the industrial kitchen of the main house, tying the apron strings behind my back. The kitchen smelled of freshly ground espresso, copper pans, and roasted vanilla. At the central marble island, Margaret Vance was busy reviewing the daily menu with the head chef.
Margaret looked immaculate, as she always did—her gray hair pinned up in a tight bun, her navy dress pressed without a single wrinkle, a heavy silver cross hanging from her neck. To anyone looking from the outside, she was the picture of devoted service, a trusted matriarch who kept the Reed empire running smoothly.
Looking at her now, knowing what was written in Evelyn’s journal, made my blood run cold.
"Elena," Margaret’s sharp voice called out.
I straightened my posture and walked over to the island. "Yes, Mrs. Vance?"
Margaret didn't look up from her clipboard. "I heard from the night guard that you were in the east wing ballroom yesterday afternoon past five o'clock."
My breath caught in my throat, but I remembered Nathaniel’s instructions from last night: Act completely normal. Let her think you are terrified of losing your job.
"I was looking for Sophia, Mrs. Vance," I said, keeping my voice lower-class, hesitant, apologetic. "She ran off while I was finishing the library floor. I'm so sorry. It won't happen again."
Margaret slowly lifted her head. Her cold gray eyes scanned my face like a scanner reading a barcode.
"Did you encounter Mr. Reed while you were in there?" she asked casually.
"Yes, ma'am," I lied smoothly. "He... he was very upset that Sophia was in the ballroom. He told me to keep her out of the main house entirely."
Margaret’s shoulders visibly relaxed. A tiny, self-satisfied smirk hovered near the edge of her thin lips. "Mr. Reed is a busy man, Elena. He doesn't have time for staff children wandering into restricted areas. In fact, I think it would be best if you moved your daughter to the daycare center in town during your shift starting next week."
"Yes, Mrs. Vance. Whatever you think is best."
"Good. Now, take Mr. Reed’s breakfast tray up to his private study. He requested the dark roast today."
I took the polished silver tray, loaded with a porcelain coffee pot, fresh fruit, and toast, and made my way up the grand winding staircase to the second floor.
The master study was located at the end of the long gallery, behind heavy mahogany doors equipped with biometric locks. I tapped twice, and the door opened automatically.
Nathaniel was sitting at his massive executive desk, surrounded by four large monitors displaying real-time financial charts, global maritime tracking maps, and encrypted message boards. He was dressed in a charcoal-gray three-piece suit, looking every bit the ruthless corporate Titan the world knew him to be.
I set the tray down on the corner of his desk.
"She took the bait," I whispered, leaning in slightly under the pretense of arranging his napkin. "She thinks you reprimanded me for Sophia being in the ballroom."
Nathaniel didn't look up from his screen, but his hand moved beneath the desk, sliding a small, clear plastic box toward me. Inside was a tiny Bluetooth earbud, no larger than a pea.
"Put this in," Nathaniel said softly. "It connects directly to my phone. Arthur just arrived at the front gate. He didn't schedule a visit."
My heart gave a sudden, violent thrum. "Arthur is here?"
"He knows I canceled my flight to London this morning," Nathaniel said. "He’s coming to check why I’m suddenly breaking my corporate schedule. Margaret must have called him last night."
I quickly took the earbud and slipped it into my right ear, covering it with my dark hair.
"Where do you want me?" I asked.
"Go to the secondary linen closet right across from my study," Nathaniel instructed. "Keep the door cracked. If Arthur tries to access the vault in Evelyn's old sitting room down the hall, I need you to hit the recording button on the security app I installed on your phone."
"Understood."
I grabbed my cleaning basket and stepped out into the hallway, ducking into the narrow linen closet just as heavy, rapid footsteps echoed from the top of the stairs.
Through the narrow crack in the door, I saw Arthur Reed.
He was a stout, broad-shouldered man in his late fifties, wearing a camel-hair coat and carrying a thick leather briefcase. His face was flushed red, his expression aggressive. Walking half a step behind him was Margaret Vance.
"I told you he canceled the London trip!" Margaret hissed in a harsh whisper as they paused in the corridor. "He spent two hours in the ballroom last night after the maid's child was found in there!"
Arthur cursed under his breath. "Did the maid find anything?"
"She’s an idiot, Arthur," Margaret sneered. "She cleans toilets for a living. She said Mr. Reed was just angry about the kid trespassing. But Nathaniel hasn't left his study since three in the morning. He’s digging into something."
"Did you double-check the basement storage?" Arthur demanded, grabbing Margaret’s arm with unnecessary force.
"I cleared box 4-B two weeks ago!" Margaret insisted, her voice tight. "There was nothing left in there!"
"You missed something, you old fool!" Arthur growled. "If Nathaniel finds those old video logs before the board meeting on Friday, we’re finished! The voting rights transition is set for nine AM. All we need is three more days!"
"He doesn't have the logs, Arthur!" Margaret said defensively. "The original tapes were destroyed in Geneva!"
"Then why is he staying here?!" Arthur snapped. "He’s supposed to be in Europe signing the maritime merger!"
In my ear, Nathaniel’s voice came through the tiny earbud, crystal clear and deadly calm:
May you like
"Elena, stay where you are. They’re moving toward the study now. Listen carefully to everything they say."
I pressed my back against the wooden shelves, holding my phone tight against my chest, watching through the crack as Arthur straightened his coat, forced a fake, pleasant smile onto his face, and knocked heavily on Nathaniel’s study door.
