Chapter 16 - The Woman in the Blue Scarf
Celeste arrived at the estate with two suitcases and a calm face. She said she was leaving because she could not remain in a home where everyone treated her like a criminal. She spoke loudly enough for the staff to hear, making sure the story would travel before the evidence did.
"I loved Lily," she told me. "I have tried to give her a mother. You are letting a woman you barely know poison your mind against me."
"You told Lily to find her mother's locket by the pool."
"No."
"Grace saw you near the gate. The backup camera recorded you."
Celeste's eyes moved to the hallway camera. "A scarf and a bracelet don't prove anything."
"Then stay and help us establish what happened."
She smiled without warmth. "I don't have to stay in a house where I'm being interrogated."
As she passed me, the sleeve of her coat slipped back. The silver star bracelet was on her wrist. I had seen it in the footage, in the photograph, and in Lily's drawing.
"Celeste. One more question. Why was Emily's photograph inside the envelope you carried to the pool?"
She stopped. For a moment, all the polish fell away and I saw raw fear. Then she turned and walked out.
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That night, Grace called me from her apartment. Someone had broken into her car and taken the folder where she kept the texts Celeste had sent her. The thief had left the phone itself behind.
Celeste had always understood that people believed the person who stayed calm. She never needed to shout. She could turn concern into accusation and make a reasonable question sound cruel. I had admired that composure in business meetings. At home, it had taught Lily to doubt her own eyes.
