Chapter 40
Marsha's room was quiet.
She lay in bed, still looking pale, but her eyes lit up the second Evelyn walked in.
"Eve, come here." Marsha waved her over.
Evelyn crossed to the bed and sat down on the edge. Marsha took her hand and patted it gently.
"I know," she said, voice steady. "You didn't do this. You'd never hurt me." She paused. "Emma was just upset. I'm sorry you got caught in the middle..."
Evelyn's eyes went hot. She ducked her head, pressing her face into Marsha's palm. "Grandma, thank you..."
Marsha stroked her hair. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll get to the bottom of this."
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. One of Matthew's guys appeared in the doorway, expression tight.
"Miss Arden." He glanced at her. "We checked like you said. No record of those people in today's entry logs."
Evelyn's gaze went cold. People don't just vanish. Someone set this up.
She stood, told Marsha to rest, and followed him out.
---
In the corridor, Matthew stood by the window getting a report from another employee. Dusk filtered through the glass, throwing shadows across his shoulders. When he spotted her, his eyes flicked up.
She didn't look at him. Just turned to the security guard hovering nearby. "Where's the kitchen housekeeper?"
The guard blinked. "Uh... back in the kitchen area."
"Bring her somewhere quiet."
---
They brought the housekeeper to a small break room. She kept her head down, hands twisting the edge of her apron, too nervous to look up.
Evelyn sat across from her. "Don't be scared." She patted the woman's hand, voice soft. "I know you've worked here for years. This isn't about you."
The housekeeper peeked up for half a second.
"I just need to know—after I left, when you carried the congee to the front hall, did you run into anyone?"
The housekeeper froze, brow creasing like she was digging through her memory. "On the way..." She went quiet for a long beat. "I did see someone."
Evelyn's pulse jumped. "What did they look like?"
"A woman. Dressed real nice—deep purple dress, pearl necklace. Said she was Mrs. Perkins' relative, asked what I was carrying. I told her it was the congee Mrs. Perkins likes." She paused. "She lifted the lid, took a look, said it smelled good. Then just walked off."
"And after that?"
"I brought the congee straight to the front hall. Didn't see anyone else."
The housekeeper's anxiety spiked again. "Miss Arden, is... is something wrong?"
Evelyn didn't answer. Just looked toward the doorway.
Matthew was standing there. Had been for who knows how long, catching every word.
He turned to his guy. "Pull surveillance from the kitchen to the front hall route. Find everyone who passed through that area. Every single person."
The employee nodded and took off.
Evelyn leaned back in her chair and let out a slow breath. At least now they had something to work with.
---
In another room, the atmosphere was completely different.
Emma lounged on the sofa with a cup of tea, looking perfectly relaxed. Across from her, the fur coat lady looked ready to jump out of her skin. Her fingers kept twisting the fabric of her dress.
"Emma," she whispered, "what if Matthew actually finds something? What if—"
"Why are you panicking?" Emma cut her off, tone flat. "The cameras are down. What's he going to find?"
"But—"
"No buts." Emma shot her a look sharp enough to draw blood. "You changed your makeup and clothes. That housekeeper won't recognize you." Her voice dropped lower. "Just stay calm and don't give yourself away."
The woman's mouth opened, then closed. But her hands stayed clenched tight in her dress.
---
Darkness crept in. Lights flickered on in the main hall, stretching everyone's shadows across the floor.
The Perkins relatives had scattered into small clusters—some scrolling phones, some murmuring to each other, some shooting looks at the door. They'd been stuck here for hours. Nobody had any patience left.
"How long are we supposed to wait?" some guy finally grumbled.
"Seriously. Why are we being treated like suspects?" someone else jumped in. "Mrs. Perkins is fine now, right?"
"Matthew wants the full story first."
"Yeah, but we can't just sit here all night. We came to visit, not get interrogated."
The complaints built like a drumbeat. In the corner, the fur coat lady sat silent, face getting paler by the second.
When Evelyn and Matthew walked into the hall, Emma immediately stood. "Matthew." Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the noise like a blade. Everyone went quiet.
"Have you figured it out yet? All these relatives are waiting. We can't drag this out forever."
A few people murmured agreement. "Right, it's getting late."
The fur coat lady couldn't help herself. "This whole thing is so obvious anyway. What's there to investigate?" Her voice turned nasty. "Makes you wonder if this is really about Mrs. Perkins or just about protecting that woman."
Matthew didn't say a word. Just stood there, his gaze sweeping over the crowd with absolutely zero warmth. That look alone shut everyone up.
The tension was about to crack wide open when a frail voice called from the doorway.
"I can vouch for her. She didn't do it."