Chapter 3 - THE GOLD STAR
“The mantle is dusted, Ms. Vale,” Grace said, her voice steady despite the rapid beat of her pulse.
Sabrina walked toward her, holding a crystal glass of bourbon. She ran a manicured finger over the pristine mahogany wood. “Ethan thinks you’re indispensable,” she said softly. “He thinks you’re the glue holding this house together.”
“I just do my job.”
“But you do it so intimately,” Sabrina mused, taking a sip. “You know his coffee order. You know where he keeps his father’s watch. You know Lily’s little quirks.” She stopped, her eyes locking onto Grace’s. “I don’t like intimate help, Grace. I prefer invisible help.”
“I will try to be quieter, Ms. Vale.”
“See that you do. Because starting tomorrow, Derek will be handling Lily’s nighttime routine. The security of this estate is paramount, and you are, after all, just a maid.”
Grace’s stomach dropped. The nighttime routine was when Lily was most vulnerable. It was when Grace usually sat with her, letting the girl tap out her feelings on her palm until she fell asleep.
“Mr. Caldwell usually prefers a female staff member to—”
“Mr. Caldwell is in New York,” Sabrina snapped, dropping the sweet facade. “And when he returns, we will be planning our wedding. He trusts my judgment.”
Sabrina walked out, leaving Grace alone in the library.
Grace knew she couldn’t wait for Ethan to come back. She had to act. That night, after her shift ended at 8:00 PM, she didn’t drive home. Instead, she parked her ancient Honda Civic three blocks away and walked back through the wooded perimeter of the estate.
She slipped through the catering entrance. The house was silent.
She needed proof. The bag of oatmeal in her purse was circumstantial, and the burned label wasn’t enough to take to the police. She needed the actual medication.
She crept up the back stairs toward Derek’s security office. The door was locked, but Grace had the master key ring. She slid the brass key in, turned it with a soft click, and stepped inside.
The office was meticulously organized. Grace went straight to the desk drawers. Locked. She checked the filing cabinets. Nothing.
Then she noticed the floor safe beneath the window. It was slightly ajar, a careless mistake by a man who thought he was untouchable in his sister’s domain.
Grace pulled it open. Inside were stacks of cash, a passport, and a heavy velvet pouch.
She opened the pouch, expecting to find the sedative vials. Instead, something heavy and cold slid into her palm.
It was a delicate gold bracelet, shaped like a chain of stars.
Grace recognized it instantly. She had seen it in the framed photographs on Ethan’s desk. It was the bracelet Meredith Caldwell—Lily’s mother—was wearing the night she died in the car crash.
The police report had stated Meredith’s jewelry was never recovered from the wreckage. They assumed scavengers had taken it before the ambulances arrived.
Why was it in Derek Vale’s safe?
Suddenly, a heavy hand grabbed Grace by the back of her neck, slamming her face-first into the mahogany desk.
“Snooping is a fireable offense, Grace,” Derek whispered in her ear.
He wrenched her backward. Grace kicked out, her heel connecting with his shin, but Derek was too big. He shoved her into the hallway.
Sabrina was standing there, her arms crossed.
“Pack your things,” Sabrina said coldly. “You have ten minutes to get off this property, or my brother will arrest you for trespassing and theft.”
Grace looked at the gold bracelet still clutched in her hand. She shoved it deep into her apron pocket.
May you like
“You’re hurting her,” Grace said, her voice shaking with rage. “I know what you’re doing to Lily.”
Sabrina laughed. “Who is going to believe a fired maid over the future Mrs. Caldwell? Get out.”
