Chapter 4: The Ledger of Secrets
The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed midnight, its deep, resonant tones vibrating through the floorboards of the study. Julian had spent the last hour pacing between the bookshelves and the hearth, checking his phone periodically while I sat stiffly on the edge of a leather armchair, Max the German shepherd occasionally twitching in his sleep on the rug beside me.
"The agency is going to terminate my contract by morning," I said quietly, breaking the silence. "Victoria has already called them twice from her mobile while she was supposed to be greeting the remaining guests."
Julian stopped his pacing and looked down at me, a dark, humorless smile touching the corner of his mouth. "Let her call. The agency works for the estate trust, and my family holds the majority stake in that trust, not Victoria. You aren't going anywhere, Clara. Not until we figure out how my dog ended up locked in my own stables."
He walked over to the desk, pulled open a heavy locked drawer with a small brass key he wore on a chain around his neck, and removed a black leather-bound ledger. He flipped through the thick pages filled with neat, handwritten columns.
"Victoria manages the household expenses," Julian explained, turning the book toward me so I could see the rows of figures. "Every veterinary bill, every maintenance fee, every payroll item. Look here." He pointed a tattooed finger at an entry dated six months ago. Veterinary Services - Humane Euthanasia and Cremation - $1,200.
"That's a lot of money for a procedure," I murmured, leaning in to read the line.
"It is," Julian agreed. "Especially when paid in cash to an independent clinic three towns over, rather than our regular vet in the city." He looked up, his eyes locking onto mine. "Victoria didn't have Max put down. She paid someone to make him disappear, and whoever took the money must have kept him locked up instead of finishing the job, probably hoping to extort more later."
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"Or they were scared of what Victoria would do if they let him go," I added, thinking of the way the other house staff jumped whenever Victoria raised her voice in the hallway. Fear was the currency of this house.
Julian closed the ledger with a soft thud that echoed in the quiet room. "Tomorrow morning, the guests will be gone, and Victoria will expect me to pretend this never happened. She'll offer an excuse about the dog being a stray that slipped through the gates. But we are going to drive out to that clinic."
