His Test Was Fake, But My Death Was Real novel · Chapter 8 of 24

Chapter 8: The Pearls

I set the coffee tray down on the sideboard.

Then I walked the length of the table with my head lowered.

Nobody turned.

Camille was still touching the pearls at her throat, smiling at the elders.

I stopped behind her chair.

"Miss Torrisi," I said, in a flat, low voice. "The clasp is crooked."

"Is it?"

She tipped her head forward without looking back, because servants do not stand behind chairs without a reason.

I undid the clasp and drew the pearls off her neck in one pull.

Camille's hand flew to her throat.

"What are you doing?"

"Those were not brought to you," I said. "You took them yourself."

The whole table went still.

"How dare you," Camille said. "Aldo, this girl is out of her mind."

"The housekeeper has a list of what left Miss MacNamara's room," I said. "A string of pearls is not on it."

At the end of the room the housekeeper stood by the kitchen door with her hands folded.

I did not look at her.

I heard her breathe in.

"That's true," she said clearly. "I sent a suitcase of clothes to the Torrisi car, and nothing else. Miss Torrisi went upstairs alone on the day of the burial."

"You're mistaken," Camille said.

"I opened the drawer after she left, miss. It was empty."

Vincent put his glass down.

He was looking at me now, and he did not blink.

"A servant who knows the contents of a dead woman's drawer," he said softly. "That's an unusual thing."

"I cleaned the room for six years," I said.

It was the truest thing I had said all night.

← Chapter 7 · All chapters · Chapter 9 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend