The Photograph He Could Not Explain
Chapter 03 - The Photograph He Could Not Explain
A deputy retrieved the photograph from Claire’s purse. Gavin moved toward her, but courthouse officers blocked him.
The image showed Gavin beside Martin Sloane, the city inspector who had declared Halston House safe three days before the fire. They were standing near the basement entrance at 9:18 that night—twelve minutes before Mara received the anonymous call.
Gavin forced a laugh. “This helps me. Mara must have taken it.”
Rachel held the photograph beneath the courtroom light. “Then why are you wearing the foundation’s silver anniversary watch?”
The watch was clearly visible. A livestream from the charity dinner showed Gavin arriving without it at 10:05, after the fire had begun. He had previously claimed it was stolen weeks earlier.
Judge Vance ordered Martin brought in for questioning. Within an hour, the inspector admitted Gavin had paid him to hide dangerous wiring and falsify the safety report. Halston House was losing money, and its insurance policy had recently increased to $8 million.
Martin insisted he had not known Gavin planned a fire.
“He said he needed the building empty and the records gone,” Martin testified. “I thought he planned a controlled electrical failure.”
He also revealed that Gavin transferred the missing foundation money into a shell company, then altered the records to make the withdrawals appear under Mara’s login.
Still, one question remained: who locked Ethan in the basement and started the fire?
Claire requested permission to testify. She admitted Gavin convinced her that Mara was stealing and using Ethan to move documents. Following his instructions, Claire sent Ethan the message. Later, she saw Gavin return to the dinner smelling of smoke.
“He told me Mara caused an accident,” Claire said. “He said I would go to prison if I spoke.”
Gavin ignored his attorney and stood. “This is a setup! Mara planned everything because she couldn’t accept that I chose Claire.”
Mara did not argue. She looked at the photograph once more and noticed a detail everyone had missed.
Reflected in Martin’s car window was a third person holding a red metal can. The face was hidden, but the person wore a ring shaped like a coiled snake.
Mara turned toward Claire.
May you like
Claire was staring at Gavin’s right hand.
The snake ring was still on his finger.
