Chapter 9: The Evidence That Destroyed Her Alibi
By midnight, the Viremont estate had become the center of a police investigation.
Officers moved through the hallways collecting statements. Security staff handed over copies of camera recordings. Guests who had arrived expecting champagne and birthday cake were leaving through the front gates after being interviewed.
Theron sat in the study with Julian and Detective Morgan.
On the desk lay a printed copy of the message recovered from the phone found in the abandoned sedan.
Take her before the guests start asking questions. Once she's gone, everything can proceed.
The number appeared to be associated with Corisande, but the detective was careful to distinguish preliminary information from verified evidence.
"We're working with the relevant providers to confirm the account and the device," she explained.
"We also need to establish who had access to the phone and whether the message was sent by Mrs. Viremont herself.""
Theron nodded.
"Can you trace the car?""
"We have its registration and are following up with the registered owner. We're also reviewing nearby cameras and speaking with transport staff.""
Julian leaned forward.
"Has Mrs. Viremont explained her relationship with Victor Hale?""
"She says she knows him from a former business arrangement but denies asking him to take Amelie anywhere.""
Theron stared at the message.
"She told me she didn't know who collected the child.""
Detective Morgan made a note.
"That inconsistency is important. We'll ask her to clarify it.""
"Can I speak to her?""
"Not while we're conducting the interview. And given the circumstances, it would be better for you not to approach her directly.""
Theron leaned back, exhausted.
He had spent his adult life believing that difficult situations could be solved if he gathered enough information and made the right decision.
But Amelie was missing, Eirlys was frightened, and every new piece of evidence seemed to reveal another layer of deception.
Across the room, Julian's phone vibrated.
He read a message, then looked up.
"The investigator has found something else connected to the charity payments.""
Theron straightened.
"What?""
"Victor Hale's company received two transfers from the same vendor. The payments were described as consulting fees.""
"How much?""
"Together, just over three hundred thousand dollars.""
Detective Morgan looked up.
"Have those transactions been independently verified?""
"Not yet. We have preliminary financial records, and we'll provide them to the appropriate authorities.""
Theron rubbed his face.
"Why would Corisande pay Victor?""
"That's what we need to establish," Julian said.
The detective closed her notebook.
"We'll investigate any connection between the financial activity and Amelie's disappearance. For now, our priority is locating the child.""
She stood and left the study to speak with the officers coordinating the search.
Theron turned toward Julian.
"If Corisande arranged this, she must have known where Amelie was going.""
"Possibly.""
"Then why won't she tell them?""
"Because she may be hiding something, or because she fears the consequences of telling the truth. We shouldn't decide which until we have evidence.""
Theron looked at the photograph of Amelie on the desk.
Her dark curls framed a shy smile. She was holding a drawing of a house, with three figures standing in front of it.
He wondered how many times she had drawn pictures for a mother who never came to collect them.
And now she had disappeared from the one place where she had hoped to be welcomed.
At one thirty in the morning, Margaret entered the study.
She looked as though she had aged ten years in a few hours.
"Have they found anything?""
Theron stood.
"Not yet.""
Margaret pressed her lips together.
"She called me before the party.""
He stared at her.
"Who?""
"Corisande. She said she wanted Amelie to attend because she was ready to introduce her to the family.""
"Did she mention Victor?""
"No. But she told me to bring Amelie to the side entrance rather than the front.""
Theron felt a chill.
"Why?""
"She said it would be less overwhelming for the child.""
Julian immediately began taking notes.
"Did she ask you to leave Amelie alone at any point?""
Margaret shook her head.
"No. She told me to keep her close.""
"Did she mention a car?""
"No.""
Margaret sat down and covered her face.
"I should never have brought her here.""
Theron knelt beside her.
"You didn't know what would happen.""
"I knew Corisande could be cruel. I knew she had hurt Amelie before. I thought perhaps she had changed.""
Her voice broke.
"I wanted my granddaughter to have a mother.""
Theron had no comforting words.
He could only sit beside her while the clock continued moving toward dawn.
At three fifteen, Detective Morgan returned with an update.
The black sedan had been located through a network of traffic cameras. It had traveled toward a commuter station before disappearing from view.
Officers had also identified the registered owner.
Victor Hale.
"Have you found him?"" Theron asked.
"Not yet. His apartment is empty, and his business office was closed when officers arrived.""
"What about Amelie?""
"We found evidence that she was in the car. A pink ribbon was recovered from the rear seat, and a nearby camera captured a child matching her description entering the station with an adult.""
Margaret gasped.
"Was she crying?""
The detective's expression softened.
"The footage is unclear. We're working to identify the adult and determine which train, if any, they boarded.""
Theron looked at Julian.
"Can we use the estate's private security team to help?""
"Any additional information should be coordinated with the police. We don't want people interfering with the investigation or putting Amelie at further risk.""
Theron nodded.
He hated waiting, but he understood that acting recklessly could make things worse.
At four thirty, Corisande's interview ended.
She was allowed to return to the guest suite under instructions not to contact potential witnesses or interfere with the investigation. The detective made clear that this was not a finding of innocence or guilt; the inquiry remained ongoing.
Theron watched his wife walk into the hallway.
Her hair was disheveled, and her face was pale. She stopped when she saw him.
"Have they found Amelie?"" she asked.
"No.""
Her eyes filled.
"Theron, I swear I didn't want this to happen.""
He studied her.
"What did you want to happen?""
Corisande looked down.
"I wanted her to leave the party.""
"With Victor?""
"No.""
"Then why did you send that message?""
She flinched.
"I didn't send it.""
"The police are investigating the account.""
"Someone could have used my phone.""
"Who?""
She said nothing.
Theron took a slow breath.
"If you know where Amelie is, tell them.""
"I don't know.""
"Corisande, a child is missing.""
"I know!""
She pressed her hands against her temples.
"You think I'm a monster. You think everything I've ever done has been calculated to hurt you.""
"I think you have repeatedly lied to me, and I think a little girl is missing after an arrangement you haven't explained.""
She looked at him with desperate eyes.
"I wanted Amelie to come home. I wanted to be her mother again. I thought if she lived here, everything would finally be right.""
"Then why was she taken away?""
Corisande began to cry.
"I don't know!""
Theron watched her carefully.
For a moment, he wanted to believe her. He wanted the explanation to be something ordinary, something that could be corrected with an apology and a promise.
But he had learned what happened when he accepted comforting answers without examining the facts.
He turned away.
"Tell the police everything. Not what you think will protect you. Everything.""
At sunrise, Julian received a call from the investigator.
He listened in silence, then asked several questions before ending the conversation.
Theron stood immediately.
"What is it?""
"They found Victor Hale's vehicle parked near a storage facility outside Stamford. The facility's management confirmed that he rented a unit there under his own name.""
"Is Amelie there?""
"They don't know yet. The police are arranging the appropriate search.""
Theron looked toward the windows.
Morning light was spreading across the garden. The estate looked almost exactly as it had the day before, as though the house itself refused to acknowledge what had happened inside it.
He wanted to drive to Stamford immediately.
Julian shook his head before he could speak.
"Let the officers handle it. If she's there, they'll find her. If Victor has moved her, we need them to follow the evidence.""
Theron forced himself to sit.
At nine twenty, Detective Morgan returned.
Her expression was serious, but there was a new urgency in her voice.
"We've located Victor Hale.""
Theron stood so quickly that his chair struck the wall.
"Where is he?""
"He was found at a roadside motel. He's been detained for questioning, and officers are working to establish Amelie's location.""
"Did he say anything?""
"He initially denied knowing where the child was. Then he asked to speak with a lawyer.""
Theron clenched his jaw.
"Can he tell us where she is?""
"We're pursuing every lead. We cannot promise a timeline.""
Margaret sat beside the window, her hands clasped around a tissue.
"Please," she whispered.
"Just bring her home.""
Detective Morgan nodded and left to continue coordinating the search.
Theron walked into the garden.
He needed air.
The magnolia tree stood over the small table where Eirlys had played the day before. Her yellow sun hat rested on one of the chairs.
He picked it up.
For the first time since Amelie disappeared, he allowed himself to imagine what Eirlys would feel if another little girl never returned home.
He couldn't let either child become a casualty of the adults' decisions.
His phone rang.
It was Eleanor.
"Theron, I've been trying to reach you. Is Amelie safe?""
"Not yet.""
A pause followed.
"Then you need to hear something. Corisande called me last night.""
Theron straightened.
"When?""
"Just before the police arrived. She said she wanted me to convince you to stop the investigation.""
His grip tightened around the phone.
"What exactly did she say?""
Eleanor hesitated.
"She told me that if the truth about her first marriage came out, you would lose everything.""
Theron stared at the garden.
"What truth?""
"I asked her. She wouldn't tell me. But she said Daniel's death wasn't the only reason she left Amelie with Margaret.""
Theron felt a chill move down his spine.
"Did she say anything else?""
"Yes. She said Victor had something that belonged to her, and that if he revealed it, she would lose the only chance she had left.""
The call ended a moment later.
Theron stood motionless, trying to understand.
What had Corisande been hiding from her first marriage? What did Victor possess? And why would the truth threaten everything she had built?
Before he could call Julian, Detective Morgan returned to the garden.
"We've found Amelie," she said.
Theron's breath caught.
"Is she alive?""
"Yes. She's physically safe. Officers located her at a property connected to Victor Hale, and she's receiving medical attention as a precaution.""
Margaret burst into tears.
Theron closed his eyes, relief washing through him so intensely that his knees almost gave way.
"Can we see her?""
"Not immediately. The officers need to complete the initial safeguarding process, and Amelie will be assessed by a qualified professional. Margaret will be kept informed.""
He nodded.
"Thank you.""
The detective hesitated.
"There's something else. Victor has agreed to provide information about the circumstances surrounding the pickup. He says Corisande asked him to remove Amelie from the party.""
Theron felt his relief give way to anger.
"Why?""
"He claims she told him the child would be safer away from the estate. He also says the arrangement was connected to a document she wanted Amelie to sign when she turned eleven.""
Theron frowned.
"Amelie is ten.""
"Exactly.""
The detective handed him a sealed evidence inventory.
Among the items recovered from Victor's property was a folder bearing Corisande's name.
Theron opened the inventory.
The first item was a copy of a legal document.
The second was a handwritten letter.
The third was a photograph of a little girl standing beside a hospital bed.
On the back of the photograph was a sentence written in Corisande's handwriting.
If Amelie ever learns what really happened to her father, she'll understand why I had no choice.
Theron looked up at the detective.
"Did Victor explain what this means?""
"Not yet.""
Theron stared at the photograph.
May you like
For the first time, he wondered whether Corisande's secret was more dangerous than he had imagined.
And whether the missing piece of her past was the reason she had been so desperate to control the future.
