Chapter 5 - Anna’s Box
Claire denied touching Anna’s keepsake box.
David believed her less than he wanted to.
Anna’s belongings had been stored in Hale mansion after death.
Margaret maintained them for Lily.
Fourteen months ago, three months before her fall, Margaret asked Claire to help catalog contents.
Claire opened boxes.
So yes, she had access.
Inside Anna’s jewelry case was Margaret’s silver pendant.
Claire remembered it.
“Why was your mother’s necklace in Anna’s box?”
David did not know.
Then Claire said something new.
Margaret had taken pendant back that day.
She told Claire:
“Anna hid something in this.”
Pendant had hollow back.
A tiny memory card fit inside.
Margaret removed it.
What was on card?
Claire never saw.
Three months later Margaret fell.
Memory card vanished.
Pendant appeared on wrong corpse.
So person staging identity confusion likely wanted others to believe Margaret died and perhaps believed card remained inside necklace.
Was Claire involved?
She knew pendant secret.
That still made her suspect.
Who else knew?
Margaret.
Maybe whoever Anna originally gave card to.
They recovered Anna’s digital notes.
One entry:
M.P. HAS ORIGINALS.
PENDANT COPY GOES TO MOM.
M.P.
Person?
Place?
Claire remembered Anna’s friend:
Mara Pierce.
Former Hale Foundation accountant.
Where was Mara?
Missing for almost five years.
Not legally dead.
She resigned two months before Anna’s fatal car accident.
Could she be source?
David’s world widened.
Anna had apparently been investigating something before her death.
Her car accident had been thoroughly investigated.
Rain.
Hydroplaning.
No mechanical tampering.
Nothing suggesting murder.
Still, investigation could explain documents.
Then Lily said:
“Grandma told me about Mara.”
David crouched.
“When?”
“On phone.”
Before wedding, Lily had secretly been speaking with Margaret for two weeks.
How?
Tablet game had messaging feature.
Margaret used username:
MaggieM.
Lily did not initially know it was grandmother.
Then Margaret video-called.
Why contact child instead of David?
Margaret said Claire had stopped answering her.
Claire looked stunned.
“I changed number last week.”
“Why?”
“Because someone was calling from blocked number every night.”
What did caller say?
“Stop moving the old woman.”
So Margaret’s safe locations were compromised.
Then Lily handed David another message.
MaggieM:
If Claire tries to take your phone at wedding, give it to your dad.
Claire stared.
David’s voice lowered.
“Mom expected this confrontation.”
Claire whispered:
“She set me up.”
Maybe.
Or she was trying to force truth out.
May you like
Then Lily added:
“Grandma said the bride wasn’t the person I should be afraid of.”
