Chapter 4 - Two Watches
Police photographs from Thomas Carter’s estate confirmed it.
Thomas died in Arizona twelve years earlier.
His personal property was cataloged.
The silver Sterling-Wade watch was returned to Henry Carter.
Henry therefore possessed both watches.
After Henry’s death, estate inventory listed only one.
Michael received it.
Second vanished.
Hattie claimed she never saw it.
Michael said same.
Penelope believed neither completely.
Then forensic examiner compared footage watch with Michael’s.
The camera resolution was poor.
But clasp scratches differed.
Michael’s current watch had diagonal scratch near crown.
Footage watch appeared to have vertical nick near clasp.
Not conclusive.
Potentially significant.
Michael could be telling truth.
Someone else might have Thomas’s watch.
Who?
Hattie?
A relative?
Someone deliberately framing Michael?
Penelope almost wanted that answer.
Then Lily destroyed it.
“Daddy has two boxes.”
“What boxes?”
“One upstairs. One downstairs.”
Police searched with consent order.
Michael’s bedroom dresser contained empty velvet watch box.
Basement office contained another.
Also empty.
Michael explained father gave him one watch and empty Thomas box came with family belongings.
Reasonable.
Then officer found photograph inside second box.
Henry and Thomas Carter standing together in 1998.
Both wearing matching watches.
On back:
ONE FOR EACH BROTHER. NEVER SELL THEM SEPARATELY.
Hattie became prime suspect for possessing second watch.
But she insisted someone else had it.
“Henry gave Thomas’s watch away before he died.”
“To who?”
“I don’t know.”
Michael interrupted.
“Yes, you do.”
Mother and son stared at each other.
Something passed between them.
Penelope noticed.
“Hattie?”
Hattie said nothing.
Michael turned away.
That evening Penelope received anonymous email containing still frame from security camera.
A week before incident.
A man stood near kennel.
Face obscured by hallway wall.
Silver watch visible.
Message:
ASK MICHAEL WHY CAMERA NEVER RECORDS HIS FACE.
Penelope forwarded to police.
Metadata traced to public Wi-Fi.
Then she inspected camera placement.
The security camera was installed by Michael eight months earlier.
Its angle covered living room perfectly—
except narrow blind spot beside kennel.
Was that deliberate?
Michael said no.
Installer invoice showed original plan placed camera twelve inches farther right.
Michael personally requested change.
Why?
“Privacy. It could see into downstairs bathroom hallway.”
True.
But blind spot also concealed whoever stood beside kennel.
Then Penelope noticed timestamp on anonymous image.
2:14 p.m. Wednesday.
Michael had supposedly been at Carter Development headquarters.
His office access log showed him entering building at 1:47.
Leaving at 4:32.
He could not easily have been home.
So who was wearing watch?
Before Penelope could decide, Lily whispered:
“Mommy… Daddy sometimes gives his watch to Grandma.”
Penelope turned.
May you like
“Why?”
“So Grandpa can’t see him.”
