Chapter 6 - THE ROOM CELESTE STOLEPolice moved Sophie and Claire to a protected location.
Ethan returned to the mansion with Detective Bennett and a forensic team.
Anna’s bedroom door stood open.
The room no longer looked like a memorial.
Her clothes had been removed from the closet.
Her books had disappeared.
Her wedding portrait had been taken from the wall.
Richard’s shirt lay on the floor.
A suitcase containing his clothing rested beside the bed.
Celeste had been preparing to move him into Anna’s room after leaving with Sophie.
Ethan opened the desk.
Every drawer had been searched.
The secret compartment where Anna stored personal letters was empty.
A forensic technician found fresh scratches around the lock.
Celeste had been searching for the photograph Sophie carried.
She knew Anna had hidden a message.
She did not know exactly where.
Detective Bennett entered the closet.
“Mr. Mercer, you should see this.”
Behind Richard’s clothing was a stack of prepaid mobile phones.
One phone contained messages between Celeste and an unknown contact named H.
The messages discussed passport delivery, the Zurich flight, and a trustee named Marcus Stern.
The latest exchange had been sent that morning.
Stern will recognize Sophie.
Keep her quiet until the verification is complete.
Ethan felt sick.
Celeste never planned to harm Sophie physically.
She needed the child healthy and recognizable.
But she was willing to terrify her, confine her, and remove her from everyone she trusted.
Another message appeared.
Once Stern signs, Richard transfers the funds.
Then the child goes to the boarding home.
“What boarding home?” Ethan asked.
Detective Bennett searched international records.
A facility called Northbridge House operated outside Prague.
It accepted children whose guardians traveled extensively.
Several complaints accused the facility of isolating children from relatives.
Celeste planned to gain control of Sophie’s fortune and then abandon her overseas.
A technician called from the bathroom.
He found a hidden camera aimed toward Anna’s old desk.
The device had been installed years earlier.
Its storage account was still active.
Police accessed archived footage.
The videos showed Anna searching documents, making calls, and hiding the blue key.
Celeste had watched Anna inside her own bedroom.
In the final clip, recorded one day before Anna’s death, Celeste entered the room.
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She opened Anna’s jewelry box.
Then she placed a small electronic device inside Anna’s car-key case.
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