Chapter 5 - The Unseen Thread
The weight of the threat hung in the air long after Julian Thorne had strutted out of the lounge. I needed to move fast, but my priority remained Lily. I found her in the hotel’s "Kid’s Corner," a supervised playroom that I had designed to be a safe haven. She wasn't playing, though; she was sitting on a small chair, intently listening to an older woman named Elena—a maid who had been with the Grand Regent since before I bought it.
"And she always had a smile," Elena was saying, her voice thick with nostalgia. "Your mother, she was the kindest guest we ever had. When the gala preparations got loud, she would come down here just to read to the children."
I stayed in the shadows, my heart aching. Lily looked up, her eyes wide. "Did she like the flowers, Elena?"
"Oh, she loved the roses, darling. She used to say they reminded her of the garden at home." Elena wiped a tear from her cheek. "I still have her scarf. She left it in the laundry the night... the night of the accident. I never could bring myself to turn it in. I kept it safe."
I stepped forward, and Elena jumped, startled. But when she saw me, her expression softened into something profound. She didn't see the suit; she saw the man who had loved her favorite guest.
"Mr. Vance," she whispered.
"Elena," I said gently. "You said you kept her scarf. Did she mention the ventilation, or any problems with the room that night?"
Elena’s face darkened. "She didn't mention it, but I saw the engineering team running past her floor in a panic. They weren't checking the gala lights, Mr. Vance. They were trying to hide a leak. Julian Thorne was shouting at them to keep it quiet until the event started."
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The missing piece fell into place. Thorne didn't just neglect the repair; he had actively covered up a life-threatening hazard to protect his gala profit. I knelt beside Lily and took her hand. "Lily, honey, I need you to go with Elena to the security room. She’s going to show you where the old tapes are kept. Can you do that for me?"
Lily nodded, a spark of her mother’s resilience in her eyes. As they walked away, I felt a grim resolve settle over me. I wasn't just fighting for justice; I was fighting to restore my wife’s name.
