Evidence
1199 Words
Elias Park stood in the private conference room of Park Holdings with six men seated around the table.
His lawyers,his chief financial officer, his head of security, his crisis-management director.
Nobody spoke.
Elias looked at the documents in front of him.“Again.”
His head of security swallowed. “The hotel's security system went offline at 11:18 p.m. It came back at 11:41.”
“Twenty-three minutes.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We haven't established that.”
Elias's eyes hardened. “You're telling me someone entered my private floor, a woman was murdered in my suite, and simultaneously the surveillance system failed for twenty-three minutes and you haven't established why?”
The room went silent,Elias pushed a folder across the table.
“Then establish it.”
His head of security opened it. “We checked the system logs.”
“And?”
“The outage wasn't caused by a hardware failure.”
Elias leaned forward.
“Someone accessed the system remotely.”
“Can you identify them?”
“Not yet.”
“Then that's your first priority.”
The man nodded.
Elias looked at Stephen. “What about the financial records?”
Stephen opened another folder. “Mia received six transfers over the last month.”
“From?”
“Three shell companies.”
“Connected to?”
Stephen hesitated. “One company eventually traces back to a Voss family investment fund.”
The room became quiet,Elias's expression didn't change. “Seraphina.”
Stephen nodded, “We can't prove the account belongs to her personally.”
“Yet.”
“Yet.”
Elias stood,“Anything else?”
His security chief looked uncomfortable.
“Yes.”
Elias waited. “We recovered a partial access record from the penthouse.”
“Whose?”
“Seraphina Voss.”
Elias's expression finally changed. “How?”
“She had a temporary security credential.”
“When?”
“Two days before the murder.”
“Why?”
“We don't know.”
Elias walked toward the window, Seraphina had access to the penthouse suite, Mia had been receiving money connected to the Voss family.
The cameras had been disabled, and Mia had been found dead inside his suite.
It was too much to ignore, but Elias knew Seraphina. She was obsessive, entitled, dangerous when crossed but she wasn't stupid.
If she had wanted Mia dead, why leave a trail leading directly to herself?
That was what bothered him.
He turned. “Find out who issued the credential.”
His security chief nodded.
“And find out whether Seraphina was actually inside the hotel that night.”
“I'll handle it.”
“No.”
Elias's voice was cold.
“I'll handle Seraphina.”
---
Seraphina Voss arrived at the restaurant at exactly eight.
She wore a black dress, diamond earrings, and an expression of effortless composure.
She had no reason to be nervous, at least, none that anyone could see, Elias sat across from her.
She smiled, “I was surprised you asked to see me.”
“I didn't.”
Her smile faded slightly.
“ The situation required it.”
“Ah.”
She lifted her wineglass. “I suppose that means this isn't a social visit.”
“No.”
She took a sip. “You've always been terribly direct.”
“And you've always enjoyed avoiding direct questions.”
Seraphina's smile returned. “Then ask.”
Elias placed a photograph on the table,Mia Laurent.
Seraphina glanced at it for a second and resumed sipping, her expression barely changed.
“I heard about her.”
“Did you know her?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
“She was a model.”
“That isn't an answer.”
Seraphina leaned back. “Mia attended several events I hosted.”
“Did you dislike her?”
“I disliked her interest in you.”
There it was, Elias's gaze sharpened. “You confronted her.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
“What did you say?”
“That she should stay away from you.”
“Why?”
“Because she was becoming embarrassing.”
Elias stared at her. “You don't get to decide who speaks to me.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because I cared about you.”
“I told you I wasn't interested.”
Seraphina's expression hardened for the first time. “You made that very clear.”
The silence that followed was deafening, Elias studied her.
“Were you at Parkview Grand the night Mia died?”
Her eyes remained on his. “Yes.”
He didn't react. “Why?”
“I had dinner there.”
“With whom?”
“My brother.”
“Until what time?”
“Eleven.”
“You left at eleven?”
“Yes.”
“Can anyone confirm that?”
Seraphina smiled faintly. “My brother can.”
Elias leaned back, “Did you enter the penthouse floor?”
“No.”
“You had a security credential.”
Her smile disappeared, “Apparently.”
“Apparently?”
“I was given access when I stayed there earlier in the week.”
“Why didn't you tell the police?”
“Because nobody asked.”
Elias stared at her, she returned his gaze without blinking.
“You think I killed her.”
“I think you had motive.”
“And opportunity?”
“Yes.”
Seraphina laughed softly. “You've always known how to make a woman feel special.”
Elias didn't smile. “Did you kill Mia?”
“No.”
Her answer came immediately, Elias studied her face, no hesitation, no panic.
But that didn't make her innocent, He stood.
“We're done.”
Seraphina picked up her handbag.
“Elias.”
He stopped.
“You're looking in the wrong direction.”
His eyes narrowed, “What does that mean?”
She smiled.
“You assume whoever killed her wanted you dead.”
Elias said nothing.
“They didn't.”
She walked past him, “They wanted you accused.”
Elias watched her leave, for the first time, the possibility struck him with uncomfortable force.
Maybe Seraphina wasn't the architect, maybe someone wanted him to believe she was.
---
Ella arrived at the precinct just before nine, she placed the access record on Harrison's desk.
“Look.”
He read it. “S. Voss.”
“Temporary credential.”
“When?”
“Two days before the murder.”
“That's enough for a warrant.”
“Not yet.”
Harrison looked at her. “Why?”
“Because we don't know whether she used it.”
Ella opened another file. “She was at the hotel that night.”
“You confirmed it?”
“Not yet.”
“Then what do we have?”
“A connection to Mia's money, a security credential, a confrontation between Seraphina and the victim and a murder staged inside Elias Park's suite.”
Harrison stared at the evidence.
“That's a lot.”
“It is.”
“But you still don't think she did it.”
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