Chapter 9
Chapter 9: The Fall of the Golden Son
The recording continued playing, the silence in the living room now heavier than lead.
On the massive screen, a figure quietly, nervously walked down the empty upstairs hallway.
It wasn't Grace.
It was Daniel.
On the video, Daniel looked over his left shoulder. Then he looked over his right. Ensuring he was completely alone, he reached out and turned the brass handle, slipping quickly and quietly into Evelyn's master bedroom.
Several long, agonizing seconds passed on the digital clock.
Then, he emerged again.
He was walking faster now. Something small, metallic, and incredibly valuable rested in his tightly clenched fist.
He quickly slipped the handful of diamonds into the deep pocket of his tailored suit jacket.
As he raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead on the video, his expensive, limited-edition platinum wristwatch was still perfectly visible, gleaming under the hallway lights.
Arthur pressed a button, fast-forwarding the video by exactly forty-five minutes.
The same Daniel entered the hallway once more.
This time, as he reached up to adjust his collar on the video, the platinum watch was completely gone.
He stood completely alone in the center of the hallway, staring down at the empty velvet jewelry box in his trembling hands, before turning and carrying it downstairs to stage the crime scene on the coffee table.
Arthur pressed the power button. The screen went black. The recording ended.
An absolute, crushing silence consumed the massive living room.
No one moved. No one spoke. No one even seemed willing to inhale oxygen.
Daniel slowly, painfully lowered his head. He looked at his own shoes, his shoulders collapsing inward as the weight of his undeniable guilt crushed him.
"I..."
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His voice cracked, breaking into a pathetic, breathless sob.
"I pawned Mom's jewelry."
