Chapter 10 - THE VIDEOThe police arrived at 10:42 p.m.
By then, the last guest had left the estate, the ballroom flowers were wilting under half-dimmed lights, and the Sterling mansion no longer looked like a palace.
It looked like a crime scene.
Richard sat in the library with Maya asleep across his chest. Mrs. Gable sat nearby, holding a cup of tea she had not touched. Margaret Ellison stood at the fireplace, speaking quietly with two officers.
On the desk, the memory card waited.
A detective named Laura Bennett inserted it into a secure laptop.
Victoria sat across the room with Conrad beside her. She looked calm again, but one hand kept touching her diamond necklace as if checking whether wealth still protected her.
Detective Bennett pressed play.
The first clip showed Maya in the nursery, crying softly near the crib.
Victoria entered in a pale blue day dress.
At first, her voice was sweet.
“Maya, darling, come here.”
Maya backed away.
Victoria’s smile faded.
“Stop acting like that.”
Maya reached for Eleanor’s blanket.
Victoria snatched it away.
“No. You don’t get this when you embarrass me.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
The video skipped.
Another day.
Maya stood beside the wardrobe, sobbing.
Victoria crouched in front of her.
“You want Daddy? Daddy is downstairs signing checks. Daddy is tired of bad girls.”
Maya cried harder.
Victoria opened the wardrobe door.
Richard stopped breathing.
Detective Bennett’s face hardened.
The clip ended before anything more appeared.
Mrs. Gable covered her mouth.
Richard held Maya so tightly the child stirred.
He kissed her hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Daddy’s so sorry.”
Another clip played.
Victoria on the phone.
“Yes, Dr. Crowe. She is unstable. She rejects me violently. Richard is blinded by grief. Once you observe her, you’ll understand why removal may be best.”
A pause.
Then Victoria smiled.
“No, Richard won’t oppose it once the recommendation is official. He trusts professionals.”
Margaret looked at Richard.
His expression had gone empty.
That emptiness frightened Victoria more than anger would have.
Detective Bennett closed the laptop.
“Mrs. Sterling,” she said, “we’ll need you to come with us for questioning.”
Victoria stood slowly.
Conrad immediately protested. “My daughter is not going anywhere without counsel.”
“She can have counsel,” Bennett replied. “But she is leaving this house tonight.”
Victoria looked at Richard.
For one brief second, her face softened into something almost human.
“Richard,” she whispered, “I loved you.”
Richard looked at Maya.
Then back at Victoria.
“No,” he said. “You loved being chosen.”
The words broke through her composure.
Victoria’s eyes filled with fury.
As officers escorted her toward the hall, she leaned close enough for only Richard to hear.
“You think Eleanor saved you?”
Her smile was small and cruel.
“She left more secrets than letters.”
Richard went still.
“What does that mean?”
Victoria was pulled toward the front doors.
May you like
Over her shoulder, she whispered one final sentence.
“Ask Margaret what really happened the night Maya was born.”
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